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,1      :  UNIVERSITY  OF  N.  CAT  CHAPEL  HILL 

Hpf^i         00012999197 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


Wilson  Annes 

ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/littlewashingtonOOroyl 


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WITH  A  WILD  SHOUT  THE  WAR  DANCE  BEGAN. 
The  Little  Washinstons.  FroJitispiece, 


THE  LITTLE 
WA5HINGTON5 


BY 

LILLIAN  ELIZABETH  ROY 

AUTHOR  OF 

THE  POLLY  BREWSTER  BOOKS, 
THE  GIRL  SCOUTS  BOOKS,  Etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


'vr  A'fA  *i^ 


GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW    YORK 


Made  in  the  United  States  o(  America 


THE  LIBRARY 

i«E  uwvEBSrry  of  north  c^brouna 

AT  CHAPEL  Hai 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
THE  PLATT  &  NOURSE  COMPANY 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  George   and   MAR-i^^HA        ....  7 

II.  Washington's  Homestead  Burns  Down  24 

III.  Punishments   and   Lessons        .       .  41 

IV.  George  Plans  a  Survey  Expedition     .  57 
V.  The    Surveyors'    Camp        ...  75 

VI.  The  First.  Taste  of  Battle     ...     92 

VII.  How  George  Applied  History      .       .       no 

VIII.  Delightful    Imprisonment     .       •       .   127 

IX.  The  Effects  of  Prison  Life       .       o       142 


THE  LITTLE 

WASHINGTONS 

CHAPTER    I 

GEORGE  AND   MARTHA 

^^  AT  ^'  MARTHA,  you  can't  play 

^^^      Lady  Washington  yet,  'cause 

we  need  you  to  be  mother  this 

time!"  exclaimed  a  little  boy  of  about 

eleven  years,  named  George  Parke. 

"But,  George,  when  you  told  us  all 
about  this  make-believe  game,  you  said 
I  could  be  Lady  Washington,  and  wear 
curls  and  a  train  to  my  dress !"  disputed 
the  boy's  sister  Martha,  who  was  about 
nine  and  a  half  years  of  age. 

"So  you  can,  just  as  soon  as  we 
have  played  the  first  part,  but  we  can't 
have  a  war  and  make  me  a  general  right 
off,  before  we  grow  up  and  show  our 

7 


8     THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

country  what  a  fine  young  man  I  am^ 
don't  you  see?"  explained  George. 

"Besides,  Martha,  George  Washing- 
ton didn't  marry  Martha  Custis  till  af- 
ter he  began  to  be  a  soldier,  so  some  one 
must  play  his  mother,  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, to  start  with,  and  you  are  the  only 
girl  here,"  anxiously  added  a  younger 
boy  of  about  eight. 

"Well,  if  I  play  Mrs.  Washington 
now,  what  will  you  be?"  questioned 
Martha. 

"Me?  Oh,  I  can  be  anything  George 
says,  until  the  time  when  we  go  to  war 
and  I  am  Marquis  Lafayette,"  replied 
John  Graham,  the  little  boy  who  lived 
next  door  to  the  Parkes  in  the  suburbs 
of  Washington,  D.  C. 

"Well,  all  right!  I  s'pose  I'll  have 
to,"  sighed  Martha  reluctantly;  "but  it 
would  be  more  fun  to  begin  right 
where  the  general  has  to  leave  home  to 
fight  and  you  come  over  from  France 
to  help  and  Jim  Jackson  plays  Her- 
cules!" 

"We'll  get  to  that  place  in  a  few 
days,  Martha!  I'd  rather  play  war  and 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA  9 

order  John  and  my  men  about  than 
make  believe  I'm  your  oldest  son  and 
living  in  the  country — but  things  have 
to  start  at  the  beginning.  You  know 
what  mother  read  to  us  this  morning 
from  Washington's  memoirs — he  al- 
ways believed  in  law  and  order,  so  we 
must  act  just  as  he  would,"  explained 
George. 

"Then  you  must  be  very  obedient, 
and  do  just  what  I  tell  you,  George,  be- 
cause he  was  a  model  son  and  very 
respectful  to  his  mother," quickly  added 
Martha,  feeling  a  keen  sense  of  joy  in 
the  prospects  of  making  her  indepen- 
dent brother  do  her  bidding. 

"Humph!  Washington  wasn't  home 
very  long,  you  remember,  after  he  left 
school  to  do  surveying.  So  I  won't 
have  to  be  very  obedient  to  you,"  ar- 
gued George,  with  dissatisfaction  in 
his  tone. 

"Even  so,  the  real  Washington  was 
so  dutiful  a  son  that  he  always  wrote 
letters  to  tell  his  mother  what  he  was 
doing — and  he  always  asked  advice  on 
things  of  importance.  That's  what  you 


m  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTON^ 

must  do  of  me!"  declared  Martha,  lift- 
ing her  head  authoritatively. 

"Come  on  in  the  house,  John — Fm 
going  to  get  that  big  book  mother  read 
from  this  morning,'*  said  George,  start- 
ing for  the  back  porch. 

**rm  coming,  too,  'cause  I  want  to 
borrow  grandma's  lace  cap  and  a  pair 
of  specs,"  crie^  Martha,  as  she  ran 
close  at  the  boys'  heels. 

While  the  three  playmates  are  in  the 
house,  let  me  tell  you  what  all  this  plan- 
ning was  about. 

George  and  Martha  Parke  were  con- 
nected in  a  distant  way  with  the  Parke 
and  Custis  family  of  long  ago.  Of 
course  you  remember  that  the  father  of 
his  country,  George  Washington,  mar- 
ried the  widow  Martha  Custis,  who  was 
later  called  "Lady  Washington";  and 
that  was  the  subject  of  the  conversation 
between  the  children  when  this  story 
opened. 

George  and  Martha  Parke  lived  in 
a  lovely  house  surrounded  by  ample 
grounds,  a  short  distance  from  the  cap- 
ital of  the  United  States — Washington. 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        11 

And  in  the  neighboring  house  lived  a 
little  playmate,  John  Graham.  Then 
there  was  a  family  of  cousins,  who  lived 
a  short  distance  from  the  Parkes — ^just 
near  enough  to  allow  the  children  to 
run  back  and  forth  for  visits  without 
the  parents  worrying  over  their  safety. 

As  is  customary  in  many  old  South- 
ern families,  devoted  family  servants, 
descended  from  slave  days,  are  retained 
generation  after  generation.  These 
faithful  colored  servitors  marry  into  the 
staffs  of  their  own  or  neighboring  fam- 
ilies, and  the  children  that  are  born  are 
educated  and  trained  by  the  family 
whom  they  serve. 

In  the  Parke  household  descend- 
ants of  the  old  slaves  could  be  found. 
Jenny,  the  cook,  had  married  the  butler 
of  the  Graham  household,  but  re- 
mained with  the  Parkes  while  Sam  still 
lived  with  the  Grahams.  A  little  boy, 
Jim,  was  the  only  child  of  this  couple, 
and  he  was  being  seriously  considered 
by  the  Parke  children  to  play  the  part 
of  Hercules,  the  famous  cook  of  the 
Washington   family.     Jim  was  about 


12  [THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

seven  years  old,  and  owing  to  the  con- 
stant companionship  of  his  granny, 
who  was  the  old  family  nurse  of  the 
Parke  children,  he  had  acquired  much 
of  the  interesting  dialect  peculiar  to 
the  old  Southern  slaves,  and  still  notice- 
able in  genuine  descendants  of  these 
good,  faithful  servants. 

About  the  time  this  story  opens,  the 
Parke  and  Graham  families  had  but 
recently  returned  from  their  country 
farms  where  the  summers  were  spent, 
and  studies  and  recreation  were  again 
resumed  by  the  children.  George 
Washington  always  was  a  great  favor- 
ite in  American  History  for  the  chil- 
dren since  Mrs.  Parke  began  reading  a 
very  interesting  book  of  his  life  to  them, 
and  they  conceived  the  idea  to  pretend 
the  whole  story  as  it  progressed  day  after 
day. 

Every  afternoon  was  playtime,  and 
the  children  were  free  to  follow  this 
plan  of  amusement:  Grandma  Parke 
eagerly  abetting  the  suggestion  by  of- 
fering bits  of  lace  and  silk,  a  shawl  and 
other   properties,   to   make   the   game 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        13 

more  realistic.  As  grandma  was  very 
proud  of  her  ancestry,  she  was  de- 
lighted to  hear  of  the  "make-believe" 
general's  scheme  and  at  once  began 
planning  how  she  might  add  to  the  in- 
terest by  making  a  cocked  hat  and  cos- 
tume for  George,  a  dress  and  other 
requirements  for  Martha,  and  suitable 
toilettes  for  Lafayette  and  Hercules. 

But  here  come  the  children,  so  we 
must  stop  talking  of  their  plans  until 
some  other  time  when  they  are  not 
present. 

"Here,  John,  you  sit  down  on  this 
cushion,  while  Martha  sits  on  the  lawn 
chair  and  makes  notes  of  what  we  need 
to  do  in  our  game.  I'll  read  from  the 
book  so's  it'll  be  all  true  and  right," 
commanded  George,  as  the  three  chil- 
dren reached  a  group  of  birches  grow- 
ing at  one  side  of  the  back  lawn. 

George  hastily  thumbed  the  pages 
at  the  first  part  of  the  book  and  finally 
found  the  special  page  for  which  he  was 
seeking. 

"Now,  here  it  says:  'George  Wash- 
ington was  born  at  the  old  homestead 


14  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

of  Wakefield,  in  Westmoreland  Coun- 
ty, in  Eastern  Virginia.  He  was  the 
oldest  child  of  a  family  of  six  children 
— George,  Betty,  Samuel,  John  Augus- 
tine, Charles,  and  Mildred.  The  latter 
died  in  infancy.' " 

"Oh,  we  know  all  that,  George,  so 
don't  lose  time  reading  it.  We  want 
to  start  the  play!"  cried  Martha,  who 
felt  impatient  at  being  obliged  to 
listen  to  her  brother's  expressionless 
reading. 

"Well,  I  was  only  going  to  say  that 
one  day,  while  good  Madam  Washing- 
ton was  raking  dry  grass  and  stubble 
in  her  garden,  she  thought  to  burn  it, 
and  in  this  way  set  fire  to  her  home 
and  burned  it  down.  It  says  that  the 
servants  helped  her  fight  the  flames,  but 
only  succeeded  in  saving  a  few  things. 
Now  I  thought  we  could  start  our  fun 
by  having  Martha  do  that.  I  can  be  off 
somewhere  on  business — just  now  I  am 
Mary  Washington's  husband,  you 
know,  and  John  will  have  to  play 
George,  the  son.  What  do  you  say?" 
and  George  watched  the  growing  en- 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        15 

thusiasm  in  the  faces  of  his  audience. 

"O-oh,  say,  George,  can't  we  go 
down  to  the  back  fence  and  build  a 
shack  or  something?  Then  Martha 
can  really  rake  the  dry  weeds  and  stuff 
left  in  the  vegetable  garden,  and  when 
we  burn  it  in  a  bonfire  we  can  burn  the 
house,  too !"  exclaimed  John,  ever  ready 
for  mischief. 

"Of  course!  That  is  what  I  expect 
to  do!"  returned  George,  who  never  ad- 
mitted that  any  one  ever  thought  of  a 
brilliant  plan  that  he  too  had  not  had 
the  same  inspiration. 

"Comx  on,  Martha — let's  hurry!'* 
urged  John,  now  imbued  with  the  idea 
of  having  a  big  bonfire. 

The  three  children  started  off  for  the 
extreme  end  of  the  property  where  the 
high  picket  fence  divided  the  Parke 
truck  garden  from  that  of  the  Graham 
place.  They  had  not  gone  more  than 
a  dozen  yards,  however,  before  a  shrill 
whistle  came  from  the  area  leading 
from  the  basement  of  the  house. 

"Whar  yuh  goin'?"  called  a  picka- 
ninny eagerly. 


16  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Goin'  to  play  Washingtons  !'* 
shouted  John. 

"Kin  Ah  come  an'  play?"  begged 
the  bow-legged  little  Jim,  running  as 
fast  as  he  could  across  the  grass. 

"Oh,  say,  George,  we  got  to  have  a 
servant,  you  know,  to  help  Madam 
Washington  put  out  the  fire!"  ex- 
claimed John,  turning  to  George. 

At  that,  George  turned  and  called  to 
Jim,  "Yes,  I  was  jus'  thinking  of  send- 
ing for  you  to  come  and  play." 

So  with  a  wide  grin  that  showed 
every  glistening  white  tooth  in  his 
large  mouth,  Jim  followed  breathless- 
ly after  his  young  master. 

Arrived  at  the  place  that  offered  such 
a  fine  site  for  their  homestead  and  the 
destructive  fire,  the  four  children  stood 
and  looked  about,  then  at  each  other. 

"There's  noffin  to  burn,"  remarked 
Jim  grumblingly. 

"Then  we'll  have  to  go  to  work  and 
build  something.  You  see,  George 
Washington  would  never  stop  at  such 
trifles!"  bragged  the  youthful  George. 

"I  know  where  there's  a  pile  of  olH 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        17 

bean-poles  our  gardener  left  after  tak- 
ing out  the  dry  vines,"  ventured  John. 

"You  do!  Where?"  exclaimed 
George  and  Martha  in  one  voice. 

"Do  you  s'pose  any  one  wants  them 
again?  We've  done  with  them  for  this 
year,"  wondered  John,  not  quite  per- 
suaded. 

"  'Course  not !  Bean-poles  aren't 
much  account  for  anything,  and  every 
year  we  get  new  ones.  I'm  quite  sure 
— don't  we,  Martha?"  said  George, 
turning  to  his  sister  to  sponsor  this, 
doubtful  act. 

"Where  do  you  keep  them,  John?" 
parried  Martha,  wishing  to  find  out 
how  much  risk  there  might  be  in  trans- 
ferring them  from  one  side  of  the  fence 
to  the  other,  before  committing  herself 
to  the  plan. 

"I'll  go  and  get  them — if  Jim  will 
help — and  we  won't  have  to  bring 
them  over  here.  We  can  build  the 
house  right  by  the  fence  and  Martha 
can  have  the  fire  on  this  side  of  the 
fence  in  the  cornfield  here,"  suggested 
John. 


18  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Now  this  was  a  wonderful  idea  that 
George  could  not  claim  as  original 
with  himself,  so  he  objected  to  its  pos- 
sible success. 

"Let's  build  half  on  your  side  and 
half  on  ours.  We  can  use  some  of  the 
poles  and  brush  from  our  garden  for 
this  half.  If  you  have  most  on  your 
side,  that  can  be  the  house,  and  ours 
can  be  the  extension  at  the  back  of  the 
homestead,  'cause  that  is  always  much 
smaller." 

"Fine!  Come  on,  Jim,  and  help  me, 
while  George  and  Martha  build  their 
kitchen  end,"  gleefully  called  John, 
climbing  over  the  fence  as  easily  as  if 
it  were  a  ladder. 

Jim  scrambled  after,  his  bent  legs 
showing  fearfully  uncertain  as  he 
mounted  the  strong  post  at  a  section 
of  the  fence.  Soon  the  two  were  out 
of  sight  behind  the  still  standing  high 
corn-stalks,  and  George  with  his  sis- 
ter began  to  collect  the  brush  that  had 
been  used  for  the  peas  that  season. 

After  many  trips  to  and  from  the 
garden,  loaded  with  tiresome  burdens  of 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        19 

brush  and  bean-poles,  all  four  patriotic 
plotters  met  again  at  the  fence-post  to 
discuss   further   developments. 

"Now  we've  got  everything,  how  are 
we  going  to  build  the  house?"  queried 
John. 

"I  guess  I'll  have  to  go  to  the  tool- 
house  and  ger  a  shovel  and  some  string. 
We'll  have  to  have  string  to  tie  on  the 
roof  and  sides  of  the  house,  you  know," 
ventured  George. 

"Ah  got  a  hank  o'  yarn,"  offered  Jim, 
taking  a  snarled  bunch  of  knitting 
wool  from  his  loose  breeches  pocket. 

"Good!  Here,  Martha,  you  sit  down 
and  unravel  this  tangle  while  I  go  to 
the  tool-house.  Say,  John,  why  can't 
you  get  a  shovel  and  pick,  too?  We've 
got  to  stick  those  poles  in  the  ground, 
you  know,  to  tie  the  brush  on  after- 
ward," said  George. 

"Why  can't  we  use  the  fence  for  a 
wall  and  lean  the  poles  up  against  it 
from  both  sides?  Then  the  brush  can 
be  stuck  in  between  the  poles.  What 
difference  will  it  make  whether  the 
house  is  up  straight  or  leans  against 


20  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

somethin'  as  long  as  it  is  goin'  to  burn 
down?"  argued  John. 

"If  we  have  a  homestead,  we're  go- 
ing to  have  a  good  one.  It  will  make 
our  sorrow  deeper  if  we  lose  the  home 
so  unexpectedly  through  the  careless- 
ness of  Martha,"  replied  George, 
which  spoke  well  for  his  innate  desire 
to  do  everything  well. 

"I  wasn't  careless  at  all!  It  was  an 
accident.  The  book  says:  'Madam 
Washington  was  clearing  away  the 
trash  from  her  garden  when  in  some 
way' — ^maybe  the  wind  blew  a  spark 
inside  a  window — 'the  homestead 
caught  fire.'  Now  I  won't  play  if  you 
make  me  burn  it  down  through  care- 
lessness!" pouted  Martha. 

"Oh,  don't  get  cross,  Martha!  Have 
it  happen  any  way  you  like,  only  let's 
hurry  and  build  the  house  or  it'll  be 
dark  before  we  have  a  fire !"  cried  John 
impatiently. 

So  Martha  sat  down  to  do  the  impos- 
sible— unravel  the  snarl  of  Jim's  yarn — 
and  two  of  the  boys  ran  to  the 
Grahams'  barn,  while  George  hurried 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        21 

to  his  father's  shed  for  the  necessary 
implements  with  which  to  work. 

Work  as  fast  and  as  hard  as  they 
could,  it  took  all  the  rest  of  the  after- 
noon to  dig  holes  and  firmly  place 
enough  bean-poles  in  a  square  on  both 
sides  of  the  fence  to  make  the  walls  of 
the  house.  Then  the  roof  had  to  be 
fastened  on.  ^  For  this,  the  picket  fence 
provided  a  splendid  resting-place.  It 
was  used  as  the  ridge-pole,  the  bean- 
poles leaning  on  it  on  both  sides  of  the 
house,  and  slanting  down  to  the  poles 
of  the  side-walls.  The  roof-poles  were 
tied  with  twine,  yarn,  manila  rope, 
white  string  and  any  other  material  the 
boys  had  found  in  the  barns. 

"Now  we're  ready  for  the  brush- 
wood. I  wish  we  had  wood  to  use, 
it  would  look  so  much  more  real," 
said  George,  admiring  the  frame-work 
of  the  homestead  to  be. 

"Oh,  don't  waste  time  wishing  that! 
Come  along  and  work,"  exclaimed 
John. 

The  brush  was  stuck  in  between  the 
poles  and  placed  on  the  roof,  when 


22  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

the  supper-bell  was  heard  ringing  from 
the  back  porch. 

"Oh,  pshaw!  We  can't  burn  the 
house  to-night!"  sighed  John. 

"I  know  what!  Let's  bring  some  fur- 
niture here,  and  Martha  can  have  her 
dolls  and  doll  furniture  to-morrow 
afternoon.  Maybe  Jim  can  get  a 
sprinkling-pot  or  some  pans  for  us  to 
use  in  trying  to  put  out  the  fire.  If 
the  dolls  are  sleeping  in  the  house,  and 
we  have  to  rush  in  to  save  their  lives, 
it  will  make  all  the  more  fun.  What 
do  you  say?"  cried  George. 

"Just  the  thing  if  Martha  will  do  it," 
added  John  eagerly. 

"Of  course  I  will,  but  you  must 
promise  to  save  them  all,"  agreed 
Martha  anxiously. 

"That's  just  what  we  intend  doing! 
While  Jim  saves  the  furniture,  and 
John  runs  with  water,  I  will  go  bravely 
in  and  bring  out  the  children  safely. 
Then  you  all  must  say  how  noble  I  am, 
and  that  some  day  I  will  be  a  great 
hero — see?" 

Evidently  John  saw,  for  he  sulked 


GEORGE  AND  MARTHA        23 

as  he  grumbled  "good  night,"  feeling 
envious  of  the  coming  hero.  And  Jim 
felt  very  much  awed  at  the  tones  and 
manners  of  his  young  master,  while 
Martha,  her  motherly  instinct  for  the 
dolls'  safety  uppermost,  ran  back  to  the 
house  with  fearful  forebodings  in  her 
breast. 


CHAPTER  II 

Washington's  homestead  burns  down 

i^^^HILDREN,  what  is  the  matter 
\^  with  you  to-day?  I  have  tried 
to  hear  your  lessons  all  morn- 
ing, but  you  persist  in  mumbling  about 
Washington's  boyhood  experiences  in- 
stead of  reciting  correctly  the  chapter 
of  the  Civil  War,  which  I  wished  you 
to  memorize!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Parke, 
as  the  two  scholars  sat  in  her  morning- 
room  with  school-books  opened  before 
them. 

"Mother,  it  must  be  the  lovely 
autumn  weather  that's  got  into  our  sys- 
tem. Could  you  sit  and  study  when 
everything  was  so  wonderful  out- 
doors?" said  George,  looking  longing- 
ly at  the  back  lawn. 

Mrs.  Parke  laughed,  but  she  re- 
plied, "I  will  certainly  be  glad  when 
the  rainy  season  comes,  in  October,  and| 

24 


fTHE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      25 

with  it  your  teacher.  Then  you'll 
have  to  attend  to  school  hours  instead 
of  wheedling  mother  into  excusing  you 
from  lessons  because  the  day  is  so 
fine!" 

"Does  that  mean  we  may  go?"  cried 
Martha  eagerly. 

"Yes,  for-^this  once  more.  It  is  al- 
most luncheon  time,  anyway,"  said 
Mrs.  Parke  apologetically  to  herself. 

It  was  not  two  moments  thereafter 
that  both  George  and  Martha  were  out 
of  the  cheerful  room  and  flying  through 
the  hall. 

"Got  your  dolls?"  called  George. 

"Yes,  and  the  cradle  and  bureau  with 
their  clothes  are  on  the  back  porch," 
responded  Martha,  as  she  ran  to  her 
room  for  a  gingham  bungalow  apron 
that  would  serve  for  a  long  dress,  in 
which  to  play  her  part. 

"Leave  everything  on  the  porch  and 
we'll  hurry  through  lunch  first,"  or- 
dered George,  as  he  piled  a  broken 
chair,  a  legless  table,  and  several 
pieces  of  broken  crockery  under  the 
steps  of  the  rear  piazza. 


26  rHE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS' 

Luncheon  over,  the  two  children 
crept  down  the  area  steps  to  recon- 
noiter  for  Jim.  The  latter,  sitting  on 
a  stool  eating  his  bread  and  milk,  lost 
no  time  in  gobbling  the  last  few  spoon- 
fuls and  running  after  the  two  beckon- 
ing tempters. 

"Ise  foun'  a  scrub-pail  wid  a  hole 
in  its  bottom,  an'  mammy  give  me  a 
leaky  quart  measure  she  kep'  garden 
seasonin'  in  in  de  pantry.  Heah  dey 
am — unner  de  lilac  bushes,"  whispered 
Jim,  looking  timidly  over  his  shoulder 
for  fear  his  mammy  might  hear  and 
suspect  the  awful  plot. 

Laden  with  furniture,  fire-apparatus, 
and  children,  the  three  early  settlers  ran 
across  the  grass  to  the  comparative  pro- 
tection of  the  hedge  that  bounded  the 
wide  pathway  to  the  barns.  But  once 
out  of  sight  of  the  house  and  the  alert 
kitchen-folk,  the  three  arch-plotters 
again  crossed  the  grass  to  avoid  the 
watchful  eyes  of  Mose,  the  gardener. 

"Ah,"  sighed  George,  as  they  found 
the  newly-built  homestead  as  they  had 
left  it  the  night  before. 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      27 

"It  looks  kind  of  queer  in  daylight !" 
commented  Martha,  who  had  been  pic- 
turing the  wonderful  building  to  her- 
self ever  since  they  left  it  in  the  twilight 
when  all  things  appear  better  than  they 
do  in  the  glare  of  the  sunshine. 

"Queer!  I  don't  see  why!"  defended 
George,  who  was  annoyed  at  his  own 
silent  criticism  of  the  building. 

"It  looks  jus'  lak  a  brush  pig-sty  my 
daddy  built  fer  Grahams'  farm,  las' 
yar,"  ventured  Jim. 

Had  not  a  cat-call  announced  John 
Graham's  approach,  it  is  hard  to  say 
what  might  have  happened  to  weak- 
kneed  little  Jim  at  his  daring  compari- 
son. But  John  came  panting  to  the 
fence,  burdened  with  various  articles, 
prominent  in  the  medley  being  a  rem- 
nant of  lace  curtain. 

"I  got  this  to  hang  on  a  window,  so 
we  can  throw  a  burning  stick  in,  and 
ketch  the  lace  on  fire !"  explained  John, 
taking  the  old  piece  of  net  and  holding 
it  at  one  of  the  many  apertures  made 
by  the  scarcity  of  brush  covering  the 
poles. 


78  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Just  the  thing!"  declared  George,  as 
he  revelled  over  an  empty  scabbard, 
broken  and  useless,  but  fine  for  a  man 
to  use  when  riding  through  a  forest 
filled  with  hostile  Indians. 

"An'  this  old  pistol  I  found  on  the 
library  wall,  is  a  relic  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, pa  said  one  day  to  a  visitor.  I 
knew  it  was  just  what  I  could  use  to 
warn  our  neighbors  that  we  need  help," 
explained  John. 

"I'd  better  use  the  pistol,  too,  'cause 
if  you're  George  Washington  when  he 
was  a  boy,  you  couldn't  handle  fire- 
arms, you  know,"  ventured  George, 
doubtful  of  the  reception  his  sugges- 
tion would  have. 

"I  just  guess  not!  I  had  to  climb  up 
the  mantel  in  the  library  for  it  when  no 
one  was  around,  and  then  hide  it  un- 
der my  bed-sheet  all  night,  so's  I  could 
bring  it  here  to  use.  Now  I'm  not  go- 
ing to  let  you  play  with  it !"  cried  John 
emphatically. 

"Oh,  all  right,  then,  if  you  think 
young  Washington  acted  like  that  to 
his  father!   Why,  every  one  knows  he 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      29 

was  so  good  and  obedient  that  his 
father  said  he  was  a  model  son,"  argued 
George. 

"Well,  I'm  not  George  and  I  got 
the  pistol,  so  there!" 

"Boys,  please  stop  fussing  and  let's 
play!  My  dolls  and  furniture  are 
waiting  in  the  homestead,"  said  Mar- 
tha, as  she  came  from  the  impromptu 
home,  leaving  the  children  inside  wait- 
ing for  the  fiery  ordeal. 

"Da's  what  Ah  say,  too,  bo's !"  grum- 
bled Jim,  who  had  great  expectations  of 
running  madly  from  the  pump  near  the 
barn  with  his  pail  of  water  to  put  out 
the  fire  of  the  burning  house. 

"Come  along,  then,"  said  George, 
taking  a  length  of  twine  from  the  fence 
to  fasten  the  scabbard  about  his  waist. 

"Now,  Martha,  you  must  be  in  the 
house  when  I  come  up  and  talk.  Jim 
can  be  working  in  the  garden  and  John 
can  be  saying  good-by  before  he  rides 
to  the  town  for  mail,  or  somethin'!" 
directed  George. 

"Remember,  you  must  try  to  save  the 
children  and  the  house,  Jim,  the  min- 


30  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

ute  you  see  the  fire  start.  You  see,  I 
am  very  calm  and  self-possessed,  so  I 
won't  cry  for  help  or  even  call  'Fire!' 
Now  don't  forget  you're  a  slave,  and 
will  do  all  you  can  to  save  the  prop- 
erty," admonished  Martha,  shaking  a 
finger  at  the  awed  Jim. 

"Yas'sam!"  gasped  Jim,  bobbing  hig 
head  as  he  had  seen  his  granddaddy  do 
to  the  elders  of  the  Parke  household. 

Martha  crept  in  under  the  opening 
in  the  bean-poles  that  was  politely 
termed  the  "doorway,"  and  then  sat 
down  to  rock  the  cradle  holding  her 
five  dolls. 

Jim  was  sent  to  dig  and  rake  in  the 
stubble  near  the  brush  house,  and 
young  George  came  up  to  speak  to 
Madam  Washington.  Just  as  he  crept 
inside  the  place,  Martha  said:  "Oh, 
dear  me!  Who  remembered  to  bring  a 
match  to  start  the  bonfire  in  the  gar- 
den?" 

No  one  had,  so  John  said:  "I'll  gal- 
lop on  my  make-believe  horse  to  the 
house  and  see  if  I  can't  find  some  in 
the  hallway." 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      31 

"Well,  then  hurry  up,  or  all  our  fun 
will  be  spoilt!"  said  George. 

While  John  was  absent,  Martha  ar- 
ranged the  interior  of  the  house,  plac- 
ing the  dilapidated  articles  of  furniture 
in  the  scant  space  provided  for  them, 
but  the  cradle  holding  the  dolls  she  left 
standing  near  the  fence-post  that  held 
up  the  entire  pole  building.  Had  she 
been  more  experienced,  she  would  have 
placed  the  cradle  near  the  open  door 
where  Jim  could  quickly  rescue  the 
children,  leaving  the  furniture  for  a 
second  trial. 

George  and  Jim  piled  up  a  great  heap 
of  dried  corn-stalks  and  pea-vines,  also 
some  pole-bean  vines  dry  and  brittle 
and  very  inflammable.  Then  John  was 
seen  running  back  along  the  worn  foot- 
path beside  the  fence,  until  he  reached 
the  place  where  the  boys  generally 
scaled  the  dividing  line  from  each 
other's  properties. 

"I  got  two — all  I  could  find!  These 
were  on  the  stand  where  the  girl  must 
have  left  them  last  night,  after  lighting 
the  hall  gas,"  cried  John  breathlessly. 


32  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Now,  all  ready — I  will  say  good-by 
to  Madam  Washington  and  leave  for 
the  business  with  the  Indians/*  said 
George,  as  he  stopped  at  the  doorway 
to  wave  his  hand  at  Martha. 

"Good-by,  Mr.  Washington — and  do 
come  back  soon,"  giggled  Martha, 
watching  George  leave  the  homestead 
and  climb  on  the  high  fence  where  he 
played  he  was  riding  a  horse  away 
from  the  farm. 

Now  Martha  came  out  and  called  to 
Jim,  "The  children  are  sleeping,  so  I 
will  clean  up  the  yard." 

Thus  saying,  she  turned  to  laugh  at 
John  who  was  waiting  behind  a  tree  to 
see  the  fun  begin. 

She  took  the  rake  and  cleared  up 
some  dry  grass  and  leaves,  then  sent 
Jim  indoors  to  pretend  he  was  work- 
ing in  the  kitchen.  Obedient  as  usual, 
Jim  did  as  Martha  ordered  and  sat 
cross-legged  on  the  ground  waiting  for 
other  orders. 

Martha  struck  the  match  and  lit  the 
bonfire,  but  so  swiftly  did  the  fire  lick 
up  the  dry  stubble  and  leaves  that  she 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      33 

could  not  reach  out  for  a  bit  of  burn- 
ing wood  to  fling  in  at  the  lace  curtain. 
Instead,  great  fragments  of  flaring  tin- 
der blew  directly  over  the  brush  house, 
instantly  igniting  the  dry  twigs  and  the 
corn-stalks  that  had  been  placed  on  the 
roof. 

"Oh,  oh!"  screamed  Martha,  thor- 
oughly frightened,  "save  the  dolls  and 
the  cradle — some  one — quick,  quick!" 

John  stood  petrified  by  the  tree,  and 
George,  who  had  jumped  from  the 
fence  when  Martha  was  ready  to  light 
the  bonfire,  had  hidden  back  of  John's 
corn-bunched  stalks,  since  he  was  sup- 
posed to  be  away. 

"Whar  am  dey.  Miss  Marfa?"  cried 
a  little  coughing  voice  from  under  the 
burning  roof. 

"Oh,  oh,  sakes  alive!  Jim's  in  that 
fire!"  screamed  Martha,  clutching 
wildly  at  her  hair,  and  dancing  up  and 
down  in  a  frenzy. 

"What — oh,  what  can  we  do?  Jim! 
Jim !  can't  you  come  out  of  that  hole?'* 
yelled  John,  when  he  found  the  door- 
way had  collapsed. 


34  THE  LITTEE  WASHINGTONS 

"Fse  lookin'  fer  Miss  Marfa's  chil- 
luns!  It's  so  smoky  Ah  cain't  see  nuf- 
fin!"  wheezed  Jim. 

"Come  out — come  out!  Oh,  come 
but,  Jim !  Never  mind  the  dolls !"  cried 
Martha  hysterically,  running  back  and 
forth  as  near  the  hot  fire  as  she  dared. 

Now  George  had  heard  his  sister's 
first  terrified  call  but  thought  she  was 
pretending,  so  he  laughed  to  himself  at 
the  great  fun  they  were  having.  But 
the  moment  he  heard  John's  distressed 
yell,  he  knew  something  had  gone 
wrong,  so  he  ran  out  and  saw  the  red- 
hot  fire  which  was  wreathing  the  home- 
stead. 

He  scrambled  over  the  fence,  tearing 
a  great  rent  in  his  clothing  as  he  did  so, 
and  rushed  up  in  time  to  hear  Martha 
scream  for  Jim  to  come  out.  Instantly 
realizing  what  had  taken  place,  George 
looked  about,  but  saw  no  other  way  to 
run  in  and  try  to  save  his  "slave." 

With  not  a  thought  for  his  own 
safety,  George  tore  away  some  of  the 
brush  still  unignited  and  forced  his  way 
between   the   bean-poles.     Jim   stood 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      35 

holding  the  dolls  tighdy  clasped  in  his 
arms,  coughing  violendy  and  eyes  shut 
tight  with  the  smart  of  the  smoke  and 
heat. 

George  grabbed  him,  and  pushing 
him  toward  the  opening  he  had  forced, 
shoved  the  rescuer  of  "the  children" 
out  through  the  aperture.  John,  as 
brave  as  George,  but  not  with  the  same 
presence  of  mind,  rushed  up  and 
caught  hold  of  Jim  just  as  he  stumbled 
blindly  over  a  burning  pole  and  would 
have  fallen. 

George  managed  to  get  out  after  Jim, 
but  the  brush  was  already  burning,  and 
he  singed  his  hair  and  hands  in  trying 
to  ward  off  falling  flares  of  fire  from 
the  roof. 

The  dolls'  fluffy  dresses  were  burning 
as  John  half-dragged  Jim  out  of  the 
danger  zone.  Martha  snatched  the 
burning  toys  away  from  Jim's  spas- 
modic hold,  and  threw  them  on  the 
ground  far  enough  away  to  let  them 
burn  without  risk  to  anything  more 
valuable. 

George  knew  enough  to  smother  his 


35  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

smoking  hair  with  his  coat,  which  he 
had  quickly  pulled  off.  But  his  blis- 
tered hands  were  so  painful  that  he 
almost  cried  out  with  agony  as  he  man- 
aged to  whip  out  the  creeping  fire  with 
his  coat,  when  he  saw  the  menace  to  the 
dry  corn-field,  and  possibly  to  the  barn, 
all  filled  with  hay  and  fodder  for  the 
winter. 

But  the  children  had  forgotten  that 
the  bean-pole  homestead  was  built 
about  the  fence,  until  they  turned  from 
the  more  urgent  needs  of  keeping  the 
fire  from  spreading,  to  behold  the 
picket  fence  burning  along  rapidly  and 
shooting  sparks  at  the  dry  shrubberies 
and  trees  near  the  corner  of  the  bound- 
ary lines. 

"Run,  George,  and  call  Mose  to  help 
us!"  cried  Martha,  heart-broken  over 
the  loss  of  her  beloved  dolls  and  the 
awful-looking  hands  her  brother 
worked  with. 

"Let  me  run — some  one  take  Jim 
home  to  have  his  mammy  tie  up  his 
face  and  hands,"  shouted  John,  off  like 
a  rocket. 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      37 

George  remained  alone,  still  beating 
with  his  now  shred  of  a  coat,  at  every 
shooting  flame  that  tried  to  get  at  the 
dry  stubble  in  the  garden. 

But  the  families  of  both  houses  had 
seen  the  column  of  smoke  and  had 
heard  the  excited  cries  of  the  children 
as  th^  fire  so  unexpectedly  licked  up 
everything  about  them,  and  every  one, 
from  the  baby  to  grandma,  ran  to  the 
scene  where  the  smoke  rose. 

With  hand-grenades,  water  buckets, 
a  garden-hose,  and  every  possible 
device  for  extinguishing  a  fire,  both 
families  worked  and  advised  until  the 
fence  was  merely  a  blackened  line  of 
ashes.  Several  of  the  fine  old  trees  had 
suffered  severe  scorching,  and  the 
shrubs  were  completely  destroyed  by 
the  fire. 

Besides  these  casualties,  George  was 
badly  burned,  Jim's  woolly  pate  was 
crisped  so  that  the  short,  tight  curls 
came  off  in  his  mammy's  hand,  and 
John  and  Martha  were  burned  here  and 
there  by  flying  brands.  The  family  of 
pet  dolls,  the  cradle  and  bureau   of 


38    THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

dresses  were  mere  memories  for  Mar- 
tha; and  to  cap  the  climax,  the  four 
would-be  actors  in  history  were  sternly 
reproved  and  punished  for  days  follow- 
ing, by  keeping  them  apart. 

Mr.  Graham  found  the  old  horse-pis- 
tol on  the  ground  behind  the  tree  where 
John  had  dropped  it  in  his  fright,  when 
Martha  screamed  for  help  to  save  Jim, 
and  he  shook  his  head,  murmuring  as  he 
did  so : 

"I  wish  I  could  impress  these  chil- 
dren with  the  danger  of  playing  with 
firearms  and  make-believe  fires.  Of 
course  this  antique  pistol  is  not  loaded, 
but  they  were  not  aware  of  that." 

Then  Mr.  Parke  called  upon  Mr. 
Graham  the  night  of  the  fire  and  had 
a  serious  talk  with  him. 

"Really,  Graham,  I  am  at  my  wits* 
ends  about  those  children.  Why,  not 
only  could  they  have  set  fire  to  the 
barns  and  other  out-houses,  but  little 
Jim  might  have  been  roasted  alive  in 
that  brush  heap  if  George  hadn't  risked 
his  own  safety  to  rescue  him." 

"I  have  been  thinking  over  the  cir- 


THE  HOMESTEAD  BURNS      39 

cumstances,Tarke,  and  I  find  that  tHese 
children  are  about  the  same  as  we  were 
when  we  were  young,  only  they  play 
with  fire  and  guns  and  we  played  rob- 
bers and  Indians.  One  is  as  bad  as  the 
other  when  it  comes  to  danger  of  life 
and  limb,  and  at  this  advanced  day, 
youngsters  ought  to  be  taught  the  haz- 
ards of  such  fun.  Now,  how  did  John 
know  that  gun  was  safe  to  play  with? 
Might  it  not  have  been  loaded  or 
stuffed  with  an  old  load  that  would  have 
exploded  accidentally  and  caused  great 
harm?" 

"Well,  I  must  begin  to  teach  the  chil- 
dren the  great  risk  of  playing  with 
matches,  or  starting  bonfires,  as  both 
are  so  dangerous.  The  only  proper 
place  for  fire  is  in  a  stove  or  when 
carefully  watched  by  expert  grown-ups. 
And  as  for  matches!  Well,  no  child 
ought  to  be  permitted  to  handle  them 
at  all,  as  they  begin  to  feel  too  familiar 
with  the  treacherous  little  stick.  Just 
see  all  the  pain  and  trouble  caused  by 
having  two  stray  matches  on  the  hall 
table,"  added  the  other  man. 


40  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

So  the  result  of  the  fire  "was,  that  not 
only  did  the  parents  take  greater  care 
in  teaching  the  children  not  to  touch 
matches,  firearms,  or  fire  of  any  kind, 
but  the  servants,  also,  were  warned 
about  carelessly  leaving  anything 
around  that  might  tempt  children  to 
have  a  "make-believe"  fire. 


CHAPTER  III 

PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS 

^^IV/T  OTHER,  aren't  you  going  to 
J3(£  let  us  play  the  Washingtons 
any  more?"  asked  George 
plaintively,  while  his  hands  were  still 
bandaged,  and  the  missing  eye-brows 
and  hair  made  his  face  look  very  queer 
and  pathetic. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  to  say 
to  that.  If  you  would  but  keep  within 
reasonable  bounds  of  your  patriotism, 
there  would  be  no  objection  to  your 
playing  Washington  as  much  as  you 
like,  but  such  capers  as  playing  Madam 
Washington  burning  down  her  home- 
stead is  beyond  my  endurance!  Poor 
little  Jim  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
plan,  yet  he  suffered  as  much  as  you, 
by  doing  exactly  as  you  all  advised 
him,"  replied  Mrs.  Parke  severely. 

41 


42  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Well,  I  remember  father  read  from 
the  Bible  the  other  evening  at  prayers, 
that  'the  rain  fell  on  both  the  just  and 
the  unjust,*  so  what  can  we  do  when 
the  Bible  tells  us  that?"  questioned 
Martha. 

Mrs.  Parke  could  not  reply  to  that 
great  stumbling-block  of  most  theolo- 
gians, so  she  changed  the  subject  rather 
abruptly. 

"Now,  for  to-day,  I  intend  reading 
of  Washington's  days  directly  after  his 
father  had  passed  away.  Listen,  chil- 
dren: 

"  'The  death  of  Augustine  Washing- 
ton'— that  is  George's  father,  you  know, 
children — 'in  1743,  when  George  was 
but  eleven  years  old,  broke  up  the 
happy  Wakefield  life  and  left  Madam 
Washington  a  widow  at  thirty-five  with 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, besides  the  two  sons  of  her  hus- 
band's first  marriage  to  Jane  Butler. 

"  'An  earnest,  serious,  yet  delightful 
boyhood  was  that  of  young  George 
Washington.  And  as  he  grew  older, 
he  passed  from  the  studies  at  his  moth- 


PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  43 

er's  knee  to  those  of  the  old  sexton, 
Master  Hobby,  and  later  to  the  old 
field-academy  near  Fredericksburg. 

"  'But  Washington  never  had  the 
benefits  of  an  education  such  as  Jeffer- 
son and  Madison  enjoyed.  Latin  and 
French  were  practically  unknown  to 
the  (Schoolboy,  whose  bent  of  mind  was 
thus  entirely  turned  to  mathematics 
and  the  studies  growing  out  of  a  sound 
foundation  in  this  important  science  of 
numbers. 

"  'Thus  it  happened  naturally,  that 
Washington  should  turn  to  the  study  of 
surveying,  not  only  because  his  family 
owned  such  large  parcels  of  ground, 
jbut  because  it  was  most  remunerative 
at  that  day. 

"  Tn  the  same  way,  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, Rogers  Clark,  and  John  Adams — 
not  to  mention  Franklin — directed 
their  early  opportunities  to  surveying, 
that  brings  such  precision  of  habits  and 
practice  in  the  study  and  application 
of  the  science  of  civil  engineering.' " 

"Mother,  when  I  am  old  enough  I 
am  going  to  study  that — surveying,  you 


44  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

know,  just  as  my  Washington  did!" 
cried  George,  as  he  enthused  at  that 
part  of  Mrs.  Parke's  reading. 

"I  trust  you  will,  son,  as  it  is  a  won- 
derful profession.  Not  only  can  you 
become  close  friends  with  Nature — her 
flowers,  forests,  fields,  streams  and 
mountain  peaks,  but  also  you  can  visit 
great  cities,  plan  the  lines  of  towering 
structures,  examine  the  space  occupied 
by  square  or  diagonal  city  'blocks,'  and 
do  many  other  interesting  things  that 
one  seldom  thinks  of  in  other  busi- 
nesses or  professions,"  replied  Mrs. 
Parke  encouragingly. 

"Oh,  don't  interrupt  mother  again, 
George — I  want  to  hear  what  became 
of  Madam  Washington  when  she  was 
left  alone  to  bring  up  that  large  fam- 
ily," complained  Martha. 

"Very  well,  I  will  continue.  'Lewis 
Willis,  a  cousin  and  schoolmate  of 
Washington's,  was  two  years  younger 
than  the  great  general.  He  wrote  in 
his  diary,  that  George  generally  stood 
at  the  board  ciphering  when  the  other 
boys  were  out  playing  games.     It  is 


.1 


PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  45 

also  written  that  this  great  soldier  never 
had  a  fight  while  at  school,  but  was 
often  called  upon  to  arbitrate  with 
other  quarrelsome  boys. 

"  *In  this  school,  where  boys  and 
girls  alike  were  taught,  Washington 
learned  no  rules  of  civility  which  he 
latef  wrote  in  a  private  book  of  his  own. 
And  the  greatest  rule  of  these  he  con- 
sidered to  be  the  one  that  influenced 
his  life  and  became  the  lamp  that  shed 
light  on  his  future  pathway: 

"  'Labor  to  keep  alive  in  your 
breast  that  little  spark  of  celestial  fire 
called  conscience. 

"  'Now  Lawrence  Washington's  in- 
fluence in  the  family  and  outside  cir- 
cles, impelled  him  to  select  the  navy  as 
a  profession  for  his  brother  George,  to 
whom  he  was  especially  devoted.  So, 
when  the  boy  was  fourteen,  a  midship- 
man's warrant  was  obtained  for  him, 
and  every  preparation  made  for  his  de- 
parture on  the  ship  which  lay  at  anchor 
in  the  Potomac.  But  Madam  Wash- 
ington's anguish  and  disapproval  of 
this  plan  brought  a  letter  from  their 


46  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

uncle,  John  Ball,  breaking  up  the  ar- 
rangement, and  George  obediently  fol- 
lowed his  uncle's  advice. 

"  'After  this,  George  was  brought  to 
the  notice  of  Lord  Fairfax,  who  owned 
the  vast  territory  westward  over  the 
Blue  Ridge,  unsurveyed  and  trackless. 
When  the  young  student  was  engaged 
to  explore  and  survey  this  domain,  he 
took  the  greatest  delight  in  his  figur- 
ing, planning  and  surveying. 

"  'When  George  was  sixteen  he  was 
surveying  at  seven  pistoles  per  day. 
And  at  hours  of  rest  and  recreation,  he 
roamed  the  primeval  forests  and  ro- 
manced in  dreams.  Thus  was  formed 
the  prologue  of  "Idylls  of  the  Summer 
Isles." '" 

"Oh,  mother,  don't  waste  any  more 
time  reading  about  the  dry  things  in 
Washington's  life!"  objected  Martha, 
at  this  point  in  the  story.  "Tell  us 
something  about  his  love  affairs  with 
Martha  Custis." 

"Or  his  wars  and  fighting,"  added 
the  boy  George. 

"Children,  you  forget  that  this  is  a 


PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  47 

punish  reading.  I  must  not  read  any- 
thing more  exciting  to  you  than  these 
pages  intimate,  or  you  will  be  planning 
to  do  likewise,  while  your  faces  and 
hands  are  still  bandaged  up  from  your 
last  experiment,"  rebuked  Mrs.  Parke. 
iTh^  she  continued: 

"  'Washington  followed  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  io8th  rule,  which  was: 
"Honor  your  natural  parents  though 
they  be  poor."  And  even  when  he  as- 
sociated intimately  with  the  aristocracy 
at  Lord  Fairfax's  home,  he  was  most 
devoted,  reverential,  and  gracious  to  his 
mother  who  was  widowed,  poor,  and 
ignorant  in  the  ways  of  the  day. 

"  'The  rules  that  influenced  the  sol- 
dier's after  life  were  neatly  written  and 
carefully  preserved  in  a  manuscript 
book,  and  among  them  the  following 
are  the  ones  he  favored  most,  and  show 
the  principles  upon  which  Washington 
built  his  character: 

"  *i.  Every  action  in  company 
ought  to  be  with  some  sign  of  respect 
to  those  present. 

'2.    Be  no  flatterer. 


(( (. 


48  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 


<(  i. 


*3.  Let  your  countenance  be 
pleasant;  but  in  serious  matters,  some- 
what grave. 

"  *4.  Show  not  yourself  glad  at  the 
misfortune  of  another,  though  he  were 
your  enemy. 

"  *5-  When  you  meet  with  one  of 
greater  quality  than  yourself,  stop  and 
retire;  especially,  if  it  be  at  a  door,  or 
any  strait  place,  to  give  way  for  him 
to  pass. 

"  *6.  They  that  are  in  dignity  or 
in  office,  have  in  all  places  precedency; 
but  whilst  they  are  young  they  ought 
to  respect  those  that  are  their  equals  in 
birth,  or  other  qualities,  though  they 
have  no  public  charge.' " 

"Oh,  dear  me!"  sounded  woefully 
from  George,  who  sat  by  the  open  win- 
dow, with  legs  stretched  out  wearily 
before  him. 

"What  is  wrong,  son?"  asked  Mrs. 
Parke,  trying  to  hide  a  smile. 

"Those  dreadful  rules  again !  I  wish 
the  great  Washington  had  never  writ- 
ten them,  or  had  tried  to  follow  his  own 
advice  in  them!"  sighed  George,  while 


[PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  49 

Martha,  also  weary  of  the  wholesome 
mental  chastisements,  nodded  an  ener- 
getic approval  of  her  brother's  words. 

"But  just  think,  George,  what  a  won- 
derful character  the  New  World  would 
have  lost  if  Washington  had  felt  about 
these  rules  of  conduct  as  you  and  Mar- 
tha do,"  argued  Mrs.  Parke. 

"But  I  say,  mother,  it  is  bad  enough 
to  have  both  hands  tied  up  in  cotton 
so's  a  fellow  can't  do  a  thing,  without 
having  to  listen  to  the  goody-goodness 
of  Washington's  boyhood.  Can't  you 
read  about  his  wars,  or  at  least  about 
his  visits  to  the  Red  Men?"  begged 
George. 

"I  must  complete  the  reading  of  this 
list  of  rules  first,  as  it  is  your  daily  sum 
of  correction  for  past  errors,"  replied 
the  mother,  holding  the  book  up  so  the 
two  culprits  couldn't  see  the  gleam  of 
sympathy  in  her  eyes. 

"  *7.  It  is  good  manners  to  prefer 
them  to  whom  we  speak  before  our- 
selves; especially,  if  they  be  above  us, 
with  whom  in  no  sort  we  ought  to 
begin. 


50  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

*'  *8.  Let  your  discourse  with  men 
of  business  be  short  and  comprehen- 
sive. 

"  *9.  In  writing  or  speaking,  give 
to  every  person  his  due  title,  according 
to  his  degree  and  the  custom  of  the 
place. 

"  *io.  Strive  not  with  your  supe- 
riors in  argument,  but  always  submit 
your  judgment  to  others  with  modesty. 

"*ii.  Undertake  not  to  teach  your 
equal  in  the  art  he  himself  professes. 
It  savors  to  arrogancy. 

"  *I2.  When  a  man  does  all  he 
can,  though  it  succeeds  not  well,  blame 
not  him  that  did  it. 

"  '13.  Being  to  advise,  or  repre- 
hend any  one,  consider  whether  it  ought 
to  be  done  in  public  or  in  private,  pres- 
ently or  at  some  other  time,  in  what 
terms  to  do  it;  and  in  reproving,  show 
no  signs  of  choler,  but  do  it  with  sweet- 
ness and  mildness.' " 

"There  now,  mother!  We  have  the 
great  Washington's  own  advice  about 
this  punishment  business!"  cried  Mar- 
tha, who  was  pretty  well  acquainted 


PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  51 

with  the  rules,  so  often  necessary  to  be 
read  to  the  two  of  them  that  she  knew 
when  this  section  was  read. 

"Yes,  indeed,  mother.  We  ought  to 
consider  carefully  whether  this  is  the 
right  time  to  reprove  Martha  and  me. 
I  say  that  if  Washington  knew  of  this 
particular  case,  he  would  advise  you  to 
defer  longer  punishment  to  another 
time  and  place,"  added  George  eagerly. 

"Ah,  my  children!  hear  the  follow- 
ing rule  of  our  Immortal  Hero's  four- 
teen: 'Take  all  admonition  thankfully, 
in  what  time  or  place  soever  given ;  but 
afterward,  not  being  culpable,  take  a 
time  or  place  convenient  to  let  him 
know  it  that  gave  it.'  " 

"Why,  mother,  that  means  you — not 
us !  It  says  'take  all  admonition  thank- 
fully.' Now  Martha  and  I  advised  you 
well,  so  you  ought  to  be  thankful  to  us, 
but  if  you  have  any  explanations  to 
make,  try  to  make  an  opportunity  some- 
time later  to  tell  us  about  it,''  said 
George,  rising  from  the  armchair  and 
politely  standing  to  await  his  mother's 
exit. 


52  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Mrs.  Parke,  tremendously  amused 
at  the  children's  interpretation  of  the 
"rules,"  rose  also,  and,  not  exactly  sure 
of  the  best  thing  to  do  at  that  moment, 
left  the  room,  bowing  first  to  Martha 
and  then  to  George. 

The  children,  as  taught,  made  a  curt- 
sey to  their  mother,  and  then  sat  down 
to  look  hopelessly  at  each  other. 

"Well,  we  won't  have  to  listen  to 
those  dreadful  rules  any  more  to-day!" 
sighed  Martha. 

"Yes,  but  at  what  a  loss.  Mother 
went  with  the  rules,  you  see,"  com- 
plained George. 

"Well,  why  did  you  stand  when  you 
did?"  asked  Martha.^ 

George  plumped  himself  down  again 
in  the  soft,  springy  chairseat  and 
frowned  at  the  table.  He  appeared  not 
to  have  heard  a  word  of  Martha's 
prompt  rebuke. 

Before  either  could  offer  any  plan 
for  the  long,  tiresome  hours  of  the  af- 
ternoon, with  mother  gone  to  the  baby 
in  the  nursery,  a  "hist"  came  from  un- 
der the  wide  window  opening  directly 


PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  S3 

over  the  flowerbeds  at  the  side  of  the 
house. 

Martha  jumped  up  to  see  who  it  was, 
but  Jim's  closely-shaven  head  bobbed 
up  into  sight  and  a  dangerous  grin 
spread  across  his  face,  which  threat- 
ened to  meet  back  of  his  ears  at  the  risk 
of  having  the  top  of  his  head  topple 
off. 

"Fse  got  a  hunk  uv  chockerlate  cake 
me  mammy  gi'  me!" 

"O-oh,  Jimmy!  is  it  big  enough  for 
us,  too?"  whispered  Martha  eagerly. 

"Uh-huh!  An'  I'se  got  a  fine  pik- 
sher  book  dat  shows  de  general  ridin' 
a  hoss — he's  all  traipsed  out  wid  gol* 
lace  an'  an  orful  big  sword  slashin'  by 
his  side!"  the  little  pickaninny  informed 
his  interested  audience. 

"Where  is  it?"  asked  George,  show- 
ing more  animation  than  he  had  had  all 
day. 

"Where'd  you  get  it?"  asked  the  cu- 
rious Martha. 

"Fse  got  him  all  right — heah!"  and 
Jim  began  to  struggle  with  the  length 
of  string  that  was  wound  about  certain 


54  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

loose  China  buttons  which  were  meant 
to  hold  the  old  shirt  together.  After 
unwinding  the  maze  so  that  he  could 
open  the  doubled-over  bosom  shirt 
handed  down  from  his  daddy,  the  two 
eager  faces  leaning  from  the  window 
saw  a  highly-colored  paper  book  repos- 
ing against  Jim's  red  flannel  shirt. 

"Heah  hit  is!  Ain't  them  colors  jus* 
too  bufool  for  ennyting?  Yer  gran'ma 
gi'  hit  to  me  'cause  she  said  Ah  was  a 
good  lir  boy  an'  loss  ma  har  fer  nuttin'. 
Gee,  Mas'er  Garge,  Ah'd  loose  it  agin 
ef  Ah  had  enny  more,  fer  anudder  book 
lak  dis!"  cried  Jim,  rolling  his  eyes 
back  in  ecstasy  until  Martha  gasped 
for  fear  they  would  never  roll  back  in 
place  again. 

"Wait  a  second  where  you  are,  Jim 
— I'm  coming  out  to  look  at  it!"  ex- 
claimed George,  jumping  from  the  win- 
dow-sill and  running  toward  the  door^ 

"Me,  too,  Jim!"  cried  Martha  ex- 
citedly, following  after  her  brother. 

As  there  had  been  no  ban  placed  on 
the  children's  going  freely  in  or  out 
as  they  pleased,  they  met  outside  the 


PUNISHMENTS  AND  LESSONS  55 

window,  and  all  three  walked  over  to 
the  lilac  bushes,  where  a  rustic  bench 
offered  a  suitable  place  to  sit  and  ad- 
mire the  pictures. 

As  they  walked  over  the  grass 
George  felt  it  necessary  to  apologize 
for  taking  the  time  to  come  out  of  the 
natural  exit  of  the  house  instead  of 
clearing  the  window-sill  and  landing  on 
the  ground. 

"You  see,  I  can't  support  myself  any- 
where, 'cause  my  hands  hurt  so  when 
I  touch  anything — that  is  why  I  had  to 
walk  out  on  my  feet  like  girls  do!" 

The  last  remark  was  said  so  humbly 
that  Martha  hadn't  the  heart  to  scold 
him  for  saying  unkind  things  about 
girls. 

By  crowding  closely  together,  the 
three  could  sit  on  the  bench,  so  Jim 
was  given  the  middle  place,  as  he  held 
the  book  that  would  reveal  new  deeds 
of  valor  and  wonders  to  the  two 
devoted  admirers  of  the  famous  gen- 
eral. 

As  page  after  page  turned  slowly 
to  display  the  gorgeously  tinted  pic- 


56  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

tures,  George  formed  the  beginning  of 
another  plan  for  acting  the  life  of 
Washington.  And  Martha  sighed  as 
she  wished  she  were  Jim,  to  be  the  pos- 
sessor of  such  a  lovely  picture-book  I 


CHAPTER  I\^ 

GEORGE  PLANS  A  SURVEY  EXPEDITION 

THE  pictures  in  Jim's  book  lured 
George's  ever-ready  fancy  to  pic- 
turing an  expedition  to  some 
vt^oods  a  few  miles  from  his  home,  but 
he  had  no  excuse  for  this  trip  other 
than  it  would  give  him  practise  in  sur- 
veying the  lands  passed  through.  But 
the  week  following  the  reading  of  the 
rules  and  precepts  from  Washington's 
journal,  Mrs.  Parke  read  some  very  in- 
teresting data  and  that  was  all  George 
needed  to  construct  a  plausible  esca- 
pade. 

Mrs.  Parke  had  read:  "  *At  sixteen 
the  precocious  lad  was  sent  on  an  im- 
portant mission,  and  the  interesting  de- 
tails are  set  forth  in  his  own  writing 
from  the  diary  he  kept  systematically. 

"  *He  went  in  company  with  George 
Fairfax,  Esquire,  and  an  expert  sur- 

57 


58  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

yeyor,  over  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains 
to  Captain  Ashby's  place  on  the  Shen- 
andoah River. 

"  'Sunday  they  rode  up  the  river, 
passing  through  beautiful  groves  of 
sugar  trees,  and  over  most  fertile  fields. 
For  some  days  following,  they  traveled 
onward  till  the  river  was  found  to  be  so 
high  from  heavy  rains  that  it  was  not 
passable,  it  being  six  feet  higher  than 
usual. 

"  'After  a  delay  of  a  few  days,  and 
the  river  not  abating,  the  surveyors 
swam  their  horses  across  the  stream  and 
left  them  at  a  friend's  for  pasturage. 
The  party  then  continued  in  a  canoe 
up  the  Maryland  side  of  the  river. 

"  'The  rain  and  freshets  continued 
and  detained  the  surveyors  at  Cresaps. 
There  they  were  surprised  by  a  party 
of  thirty  Indians  coming  from  a  battle 
with  but  one  scalp.  The  white  men 
gave  the  Red  Men  some  of  their  liquor, 
which  made  the  Indians  dance  for  them 
in  return. 

"  'They  cleared  a  large  circle  and 
built  a  big  fire  in  the  middle.    They 


^  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        59 

then  sat  about  it  in  a  ring  while  one  of 
them  made  a  fine  speech,  telling  his 
warriors  what  and  how  to  dance.  Then 
the  best  dancer  of  all  jumped  up  and 
ran  about  the  fire  in  a  very  strange 
manner,  the  others  joining  in  the  dance 
and  following  after  the  leader.  To  the 
music  of  a  skin  drum  and  a  gourd 
filled  with  shot  for  a  rattle,  they  danced 
wild  and  fearful  ways.'  " 

When  Mrs.  Parke  read  this  para- 
graph, George  made  a  mental  note  for 
future  use.  But  to  the  description  of 
how  Washington  slept  on  some  straw 
which  caught  fire,  so  that  the  crude 
mattress  had  to  be  thrown  into  the  river, 
George  remained  impervious.  He 
thought  to  himself:  "We've  had  one 
good  fire  and  that's  enough  to  do  for 
all  time."  ^ 

When  his  mother  read  of  the  fine  wild 
turkeys  shot  down  or  trapped,  George 
made  another  mental  note — not  includ- 
ing a  gun,  for  he  had  also  had  enough 
of  lectures  about  firearms,  but  trapping 
was  different! 

At  the  paragraph  where  the  young 


60  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

surveyor  spoke  of  the  night's  camp  in  a 
fine  meadow  where  some  hay  had  been 
stacked  up,  and  the  description  of  how 
the  men  cooked  supper,  and  then  after 
spreading  out  some  hay  for  bedding, 
enjoyed  a  well-earned  rest,  George  felt 
yery  deeply  interested. 

By  the  time  the  swaddling  cotton  and 
linen  bandages  were  removed  from 
George's  hands,  he  had  another  full- 
fledged  plan  in  mind,  all  ready  and 
waiting  for  the  opportunity  to  try  it. 

It  happened  that  John  Graham  was 
released  from  strict  imprisonment 
within  his  home  grounds,  and  given 
parole  of  the  gardens  and  lawns  back 
of  the  house. 

Jim  had  wandered  aimlessly  over  the 
entire  estate  during  the  days  of  George's 
forced  quiet  withindoors,  and  during 
one  of  these  roamings  he  heard  John's 
whistle  and  saw  the  boy  running  across 
the  garden  to  meet  him  at  the  place 
where  the  high  picket  fence  had  stood. 
It  was  temporarily  replaced  by  a  rib- 
bon wire. 

This  offered  no  obstacle  whatever  to 


!A.  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        61 

youth,  so  John  was  soon  over  on  the 
Parkes'  property  asking  eagerly  for 
George  and  Martha.  Jim  faithfully  re- 
peated the  method  of  punishment,  as  he 
had  heard  it  read  from  the  history  book 
each  day,  as  he  crouched  under  the 
wide  window  waiting  for  Mrs.  Parke 
to  finish  and  leave  the  children  alone. 

John  listened  in  wonderment.  "I 
wish  I  had  some  one  punish  me  that 
way — Fd  like  it." 

"No'm-mm!  you  wouldn't  uther!" 
retorted  Jim,  making  a  very  significant 
sound  on  the  first  word. 

"Why?"  giggled  John. 

"Cuz!  Dem  rules  an'  regerlations 
what  dat  Washerton  said  is  as  bad  to 
recomember  as  de  Proverbs  in  granny's 
Good  Book!"  declared  Jim,  rolling  his 
eyes  upward  at  mention  of  the  Book 
that  could  open  the  door  of  Heaven  for 
bad  boys. 

"I  wish  you'd  see  if  any  one's  about 
the  house — I'd  take  a  chance  of  seein' 
George  if  he  was  alone!"  whispered 
John,  looking  about  fearfully  to  see  if 
any  one  could  overhear  him. 


62  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Ah'd  let  it  go  by,  John,  ef  Ah  wuz 

yuh !    Lemme  tell  Garge  you'se  is  wait- 

i  in'  at  de  back  fence — leastwise  whar  de 

fence  'ust  to  be  onct !"  corrected  honest 

Jim. 

"Yeh— do  that  and  hurry  up!  Til 
stay  around  by  the  shrubs  over  there 
for  ten  minutes  anyway,"  declared 
John,  starting  off. 

When  Jim  approached  the  window 
of  the  room  where  the  two  Parke  chil- 
dren were  wont  to  sit  and  do  penance 
for  the  fire,  he  heard  Mrs.  Parke  say: 

"So  you  will  have  to  be  good  chil- 
dren until  I  come  back.  Mammy  has 
been  given  full  charge  of  you,  and  you 
must  do  all  you  can  to  make  the  task 
light  for  her.'* 

"Oh,  we  will,  mother!  Trust  me. 
I  hate  to  make  any  work  or  extra 
care  for  mammy,  and  she  will  be  able 
to  tell  you  how  nice  her  days  were 
while  you  were  away  in  Washington," 
eagerly  agreed  George  and  Martha  as 
one  voice.  In  fact,  so  anxious  were 
they  to  assure  their  mother  of  the  care 
and  trouble  they  would  spare  the  watch- 


A  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        63 

ful  mammy  that  Mrs.  Parke  won3ered 
if  there  could  be  a  deeper  meaning  un- 
derlying the  consent. 

As  Jim  heard  the  door  close,  and  felt 
assured  the  lady  had  gone  from  the 
room,  he  gave  his  low,  peculiar  whistle 
that  immediately  brought  the  two  dam- 
aged but  almost  mended  children  to  the 
window. 

"John,  he  am  waitin'  nigh  de  bushes 
war  de  fiah  wuz!"  Jim  informed  his 
young  friends. 

"What  for?"  countered  Martha. 

"Just  to  visit  us,  I  s'pose — anyway, 
let's  run  out  and  see  him  for  a  minute," 
suggested  George. 

Without  losing  time  to  go  by  the 
roundabout  way  of  the  door,  both  chil- 
dren leaped  from  the  window — 
George's  hands  being  healed  well 
enough  to  use  again. 

Jim  grinned  at  the  sight  of  that  meet- 
ing— it  was  as  if  three  long-lost  friends 
had  suddenly  found  each  other  again. 

"I've  got  great  news,  John!"  cried 
George,  as  soon  as  the  first  greetings 
were  over. 


64  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Have  you? — so've  L  I  just  heard 
my  mother  'phone  my  father  that  every- 
thing was  nicely  arranged  to  start  to- 
morrow. She  then  said  that  Mrs.  Parke 
would  be  able  to  accompany  her.  Now 
where  do  you  suppose  they  are  going?" 
said  John. 

"Ha !  That's  what  I  want  to  tell  you. 
Our  folks — that  is  mother  and  father — 
are  going  to  Washington  for  a  week. 
lYour  father  and  mother  are  going  with 
'em.  You  are  going  to  be  left  in 
charge  of  your  uncle,  who  will  stay  at 
your  house,  and  we  are  to  be  left  with 
our  mammy." 

George  waited  to  see  the  effect  of  his 
words  on  John,  but  he  never  expected 
to  see  such  wild  enthusiasm  as  his 
friend  expressed  at  the  news. 

"Sh-h!  Some  one'll  hear  you  and 
then  they  won't  go!"  cried  Martha 
fearfully. 

This  silenced  John  more  effectively 
than  any  other  warning  could  have 
done.  When  other  explanations  had 
been  made,  and  the  four  children  had 
sworn  each  other  to  secrecy  to  encour- 


A  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        65 

age  George  to  divulge  his  plans,  he 
said: 

"I  thought  it  all  out  while  mother 
was  reading  about  our  Washington's 
experiences  in  surveying  on  the  moun- 
tains. Now  I  know  all  about  some 
mountains  not  far  from  here,  and  my 
plan  will  not  only  save  mammy  a  lot 
of  care  and  trouble,  but  do  us  a  lot  of 
good  for  future  business — I  expect  to 
be  a  surveyor,  you  know!" 

The  other  children  conceded  the  ex- 
pected fame  of  their  future  expert  with 
a  transit  and  other  instruments,  and 
heard  his  plan  in  breathless  admiration. 

"You  are  a  general  that  we're  proud 
of,  George,"  said  John. 

"Da's  what!"  echoed  Jim  emphati- 
cally. 

"But  Fm  afraid  it  isn't  right,"  ob- 
jected Martha. 

"Why  not?  Won't  we  be  helping 
mammy  take  care  of  us?"  retorted 
George,  who  feared  his  subjects  would 
also  retract. 

"Well — ^maybe — ^but  I  don't  like  your 
plan  of  staying  out,"  added  Martha„ 


66  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

who  was  not  as  daring  and  brave  as 
her  brother. 

The  following  morning  the  parents 
left,  after  leaving  many  admonitions  for 
the  guidance  of  the  children  and  their 
nurse. 

The  elders  left  at  nine  o'clock  to 
catch  the  express  train  for  the  capital, 
and  immediately  after  their  departure, 
Jim  crept  up  from  the  areaway  and 
gave  the  secret  signal  for  the  brother 
and  sister. 

Even  before  he  had  been  able  to  let 
his  lips  settle  into  a  natural  line  again, 
George  and  Martha  came  down  the 
back  steps  of  the  porch,  and  all  three 
ran  over  to  the  lilac  bushes. 

"Whar's  mammy?"  whispered  Jim 
hoarsely,  for  mammy  was  the  hoo-doo 
of  his  otherwise  free  and  happy  life. 
His  own  mammy  was  too  busy  in  the 
kitchen  cooking  for  the  family  to 
bother  much  about  Jim's  method  of 
spending  his  time,  but  the  elder  mammy 
and  granny  were  usually  wide  awake  to 
the  capers  of  the  little  pickaninny. 

"Oh,  she's  in  the  nursery  puttin'  baby 


A  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        67 

to  sleep  after  her  bath,"  responded 
Martha. 

Jim  laughed  with  relief  and  said: 
"Ah  got  dat  bread  an*  butter  from  de 
pantry." 

"And  we've  got  apples,  potatoes  and 
some  cookies,"  added  George. 

"And  I've  got  the  blankets,  but  they 
were  too  heavy  to  carry  all  at  once,  so 
I  brought  only  one  pair,"  said  Martha, 
displaying  a  huge  roll  under  the  lilac 
bushes. 

"You  two  go  on  with  these  things, 
an'  I'll  go  back  for  the  other  traps — 
we've  got  to  have  them,  you  knowj" 
declared  George. 

Martha  and  Jim  hurried  along  the 
hedge-bound  path  well  hidden  from  the 
windows  of  the  house  and  barn,  and 
reached  the  charred  trees  where  John 
stood  wearily  waiting. 

"I  thought  you'd  never  come!  I've 
been  here  since  the  folks  left !  I've  got 
the  tins  and  other  things,"  said  he. 

"We  couldn't  come  sooner,  'cause 
your  folks  stopped  for  our  folks,  and 
they  never  left  till  a  little  while  ago — 


68  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

did  they,  Jim?"  said  Martha,  appealing 
to  her  companion  for  confirmation. 

"Da's  what!"  assented  Jim,  wagging 
his  erstwhile  shiny  bald  head,  which 
was  beginning  to  show  a  soft  fuzz  of 
newly-grown  wool. 

"Well,  'all's  well  that  ends  well,'" 
said  John. 

"It  isn't  ended  yet — and  I  said,  re- 
member, that  I  am  afraid  it  isn't  going 
to  end  well !"  prophesied  Martha. 

"Oh  say,  Martha,  you're  a  regular 
Jonah,  you  are!"  said  George,  coming 
up  in  time  to  overhear  his  sister's  re- 
marks. 

Martha,  fearing  that  she  might  be 
left  out  of  the  expedition  if  she  saicj 
more,  remained  very  quiet  while  the 
three  boys  tied  up  food  and  tins  in  the 
blankets,  and  each  adventurer  took  hold 
of  an  end  of  the  bundle — there  being 
two  rolls  of  blankets  and  four  carriers. 

They  left  the  smooth  road  that  ran 
back  of  the  two  estates  and  trudged 
over  a  rough  country  road  for  half  an 
hour  without  complaint  or  rest.  Then 
Jim  said: 


A  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        69 

"Ah  rickon  mah  crooked  laigs  ain't 
jest  as  nimble  ez  your'n,  Marse 
Garge." 

From  experience,  Jim  knew  it  was 
always  wiser  to  appeal  to  George's  hu- 
manitarian side  of  nature  rather  than 
to  hint  at  a  desired  rest  or  lunch. 

"Say,  don't  you  two  go  so  fast — ^Jim 
can't  keep  up  with  you,  you  know!" 
ordered  George,  slowing  down  to  keep 
pace  with  Martha  and  the  bow-legged 
boy. 

"How  much  further  on  this  trail  is  it, 
George?"  asked  John. 

"Oh,  not  far.  I've  been  hoping  some 
cart  would  happen  along  and  give  us 
a  lift,"  said  the  Commander  of  the 
Forces. 

"There  comes  one,  but  it's  the  wrong 
direction,"  commented  Martha,  as  a 
buckboard  came  into  sight  down  the 
end  of  the  long  country  road. 

Another  half-hour  found  every  one 
tired  and  ready  for  a  rest.  Also,  they 
were  willing  to  eat  up  all  the  food 
brought  for  the  entire  expedition. 

"We'll  camp  at  the  first  spring  of 


70  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

water  we  can  find,"  promised  the  gen- 
eral. 

But  no  spring  was  found,  as  they  sel- 
dom bubble  up  on  a  muddy  road,  but 
seek  quiet,  secluded  nooks  where  they 
offer  their  sweet  water  to  thirsty  travel- 
lers. 

However,  when  all  hope  in  a  near-by 
spring,  and  the  joy  of  an  immediate 
camp,  was  well  nigh  given  up,  a  farmer 
drove  along,  his  heavy  wagon  empty 
and  suggestive  of  room. 

"Say,  mister,  will  you  please  give  us 
a  ride?"  asked  George,  removing  his 
cap  politely. 

"Where  be  you  uns  goin'?"  asked 
the  smiling  farmer. 

"Why,  you  see,  I've  got  to  start  my 
business  of  surveying  some  land  along 
here,  and  these,  my  friends,  want  to  go 
with  me  to  see  what  camp  life  is  like," 
explained  George,  manlike. 

"'Course  you  can  have  a  lift — climb 
right  in,"  replied  the  amused  farmer. 

So  the  band  of  weary  wanderers 
thankfully  sat  down  on  the  heavy 
wagon-flooring,  and  continued  to  ride 


fA  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        71 

until  the  farmer  turned  to  ask  them 
where  they  wished  to  stop. 

"Guess  we'll  camp  at  the  first  good 
spring  you  see,"  answered  George,  thus 
putting  on  the  old  man's  shoulders  the 
burden  of  finding  water. 

But  the  farmer  merely  chuckled 
again,  thinking  the  four  children  were 
out  for  a  picnic,  and  never  dreaming 
that  they  were  away  from  home  with- 
out the  consent  or  knowledge  of  their 
elders. 

After  several  miles  were  covered,  the 
good-natured  farmer  turned  into  a  nar- 
row road  leading  from  the  main  road, 
and  then  said  to  the  children: 

"I  live  up  the  other  way  a  stretch,  but 
thar  is  a  mighty  fine  spring  of  water  in 
the  woods,  up  har  a  ways.  You  kin 
camp  and  have  a  good  time  on  that  hill, 
and  ef  you  want  milk  or  any  other 
thing,  come  to  our  house  fer  it — ^we 
are  only  a  mile  away." 

When  the  wagon  stopped  by  the 
woods  and  George,  as  the  general  of 
the  party,  was  directed  how  to  find 
the  spring,  they  thanked  their  friend 


72  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

and  watched  as  he  drove  on  his  way. 
Then,  as  a  turn  of  the  road  hid  him 
from  view  they  resumed  their  journey 
to  the  spring. 

"I  wonder  what  time  it  is — ^must  be 
'most  night!"  observed  Martha. 

"No,  not  yet — I  can't  tell  exactly, 
'cause  I  haven't  my  surveying  instru- 
ments, you  see.  But  I  guess  it  is  about 
one  o'clock  from  the  position  of  the 
sun  and  shadows,"  said  George,  squint- 
ing up  at  the  sky  with  a  very  knowing 
look. 

The  others  watched  him  with  great 
admiration,  and  John  unconsciously 
humbled  the  make-believe  surveyor's 
conceit  when  he  added: 

"You're  right,  George,  'cause  it  was 
'most  one  o'clock  by  the  farmer's  big 
silver  watch  when  he  showed  it  to  you, 
you  know." 

"See  here,  John,  you  run  to  the 
spring  and  fetch  us  some  water  in  the 
tin  pail,  will  you?"  quickly  said 
George. 

"Why,  you  said  I  was  going  to  be 
Lord  Fairfax  on  this  surveying  trip — 


A  SURVEY  EXPEDITION        73 

and  I'm  sure  he  never  had  to  carry 
water,"  objected  John. 

"Well,  then,  Martha — ^you're  a  ser- 
vant right  now,  you  know;  you  go  and 
get  it  while  I  see  that  the  blankets  are 
put  away." 

"George,  you  said  I  was  to  be  one  of 
the  surveyors,  so  I  can't  be  a  servant, 
too,"  replied  Martha,  looking  at  Jim 
for  the  offer  to  serve. 

"Sure  you  can !  They  all  had  to  work 
on  that  trip  in  the  wilds,"  explained 
George. 

"Then  you  can  get  the  water  while 
I  hang  the  blankets  on  a  tree  bough  to 
air,"  responded  Martha,  tossing  her 
head. 

"Now  let's  settle  this  thing  right  here 
— I  am  Washington  and  in  command 
of  this  trip,"  declared  George  em- 
phatically. 

"No,  sir!  Mother  read  that  Lord 
Fairfax  was  the  head  of  the  expedition, 
and  Washington  was  only  a  boy  sur- 
veyor of  sixteen.  By  rights,  John  ought 
to  take  command,"  argued  Martha. 

George  made  no  reply  to  this,  as  he 


74  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

was  not  willing  to  assume  any  other 
role  than  that  of  Washington,  and  he 
rebelled  at  any  one's  taking  command 
over  him,  but  finally  said  to  John: 

"You're  Lord  Fairfax,  and  I  guess  he 
never  did  anything  but  have  a  good 
time  on  these  trips,  so  you  won't  have 
to  boss  or  work — ^just  be  Lord  Fair- 
fax." 

"Who  is  going  for  the  spring 
water?"  wondered  Martha. 

"Why,  I  will,  of  course!  Didn't 
Washington  always  settle  every  dispute 
in  school,  and  with  the  crews  of  men, 
by  arbitration?"  retorted  George  impa- 
tiently. 

Jim  stood  humbly  listening  and 
watching  these  preparations,  and  when 
George  took  the  pail  and  started  for  the 
water,  he  offered  to  help  Martha  hang 
the  blankets  over  the  limb  of  a  tree. 

Although  Lord  Fairfax  was  not  sup- 
posed to  work,  he  felt  a  keen  desire  to 
arrange  the  supper-table,  so  he  spread 
out  the  newspapers  and  placed  the  tin 
cups  and  food  on  it  before  George  re- 
turned with  the  water. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   surveyor's   CAMP 

GEORGE  came  running  back  with 
the  pail  of  water,  but  at  every^ 
step  the  water  splashed  out,  so 
that  very  little  was  left  for  the  supper^ 
when  he  reached  his  companions. 

"What  do  you  think!  I  saw  a  great 
big  snake!"  cried  he. 

"Maybe  it  was  a  rattler  like  the  one 
Washington  saw  on  the  mountains  just 
before  he  started  for  home,"  ventured 
Martha. 

"Let's  hurry  over  and  kill  it — ^where 
did  you  see  it?"  exclaimed  John  ex- 
citedly. 

Jim  trembled  with  desire  or  fear, 
no  one  could  say,  but  he  said:  "My 
daddy  kills  'em  wid  a  stick!" 

Armed  with  sticks  and  stones,  the 
four  surveyors  began  a  hunt  for  the 
reptile  which  George  assured  them  "was 


76  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

'most  four  feet  long  and  had  blazing 
eyes!" 

Jim  took  care  to  be  the  last  in  the 
line,  and  his  eyes  not  only  kept  shifting 
from  one  side  of  the  trail  to  the  other, 
but  he  was  also  alert  to  the  slightest  ac- 
tion of  the  leaders. 

Halfway  to  the  spring,  Martha  saw 
a  tiny  green  threadlike  snake  dart 
across  the  path,  and  screamed  with' 
fright. 

At  the  moment  she  screamed,  how- 
ever, Jim  stopped,  bent  forward  to  see 
what  was  wrong,  and  then  turning  like 
a  flash,  was  off  along  the  path  they  had 
all  come.  Martha,  finding  the  erst- 
while Indian  warrior  taking  so  fleetly 
to  his  heels,  turned  and  followed  suit. 

"There  it  is,  John!  Kill  him— kill 
him!"  shouted  George,  jumping  up 
and  down  with  excitement  while  point- 
ing his  stick  at  the  wriggling  grass 
snake. 

"Where?  Where  is  he?  I  don't  see 
anything!"  cried  John,  looking  in  the 
opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  the 
snake  was  going. 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP       77 

When  the  snake  was  far  enough 
away  to  be  quite  safe  for  George  to 
fling  stones  at,  John  also  turned  and 
saw  the  pretty  little  caterpillar-eater. 

"That  isn't  four  feet  long!"  scorned 
John. 

"It's  'most — ^you  can't  see  the  end  of 
his  tail  in  that  long  grass,"  disputed 
George. 

"It  isn't  more'n  eight  inches  long, 
and  I  can  see  it  just  as  plain  as  day!" 
retorted  John,  flinging  the  stone  he 
held,  but  aiming  so  badly  that  it  fell  a 
yard  away. 

The  snake  slid  into  a  crevice  under 
a  rock,  and  the  two  disgusted  reptile- 
hunters  returned  to  camp  to  find  that 
Jim  had  stumbled  over  the  tin  pail, 
and  spilled  the  remaining  water  all 
over  his  cotton  shirt. 

"I  told  him  to  take  it  off  and  hang  it 
in  the  sun  while  he  sits  behind  a  tree 
where  we  can't  see  him,"  explained 
Martha. 

George  had  a  sudden  inspiration. 

"If  we  only  had  some  feathers,  and 
beads,  and  a  skin  belt,  Jim  could  play 


78  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Red  Man  and  dance  around  a  fire  I 
will  make." 

"No,  yoh  won't  make  no  fire  fer  me 
t'  dance,  neider!  Ah  got  scorched  one 
time — no  moh!"  exclaimed  Jim,  with 
vim. 

"We  haven't  any  matches,  anyway, 
and — and — ^we  don't  want  any  more 
bonfires,"  added  Martha. 

"Well  then,  we'll  eat  dinner.  John, 
you  fetch  some  water  this  time  while 
I  help  Jim  hang  up  the  shirt,"  replied 
George. 

With  an  exasperated  sigh  that  Lord 
Fairfax  must  carry  water,  John  dragged 
the  pail  along  the  grass  and  brought 
water  from  the  spring. 

The  four  surveyors  sat  about  the 
newspaper,  eating  all  they  had  brought 
from  home,  then  wishing  there  was 
more,  as  they  still  felt  hungry. 

"What  are  we  going  to  have  for  sup- 
per and  breakfast?"  wondered  Martha, 
as  she  looked  at  the  raw  potatoes. 

"Guess  we'll  have  to  hunt  up  some 
berries  in  the  woods,"  replied  George. 

"Berries  don't  grow  in  September — 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP        79 

nothing  but  nuts  now,"  said  John,  wish- 
ing he  had  a  shce  of  cake  and  a  glass 
of  milk  as  usual. 

"Then  we'll  have  to  hunt  for  an  or- 
chard and  find  some  apples,"  returned 
George  encouragingly. 

Dinner  over,  Martha  found  Jim's 
shirt  was  not  yet  dry,  so  George  pro- 
posed that  he  play  Indian  for  them. 

"Ah  don'  know  what  dey  do,"  Jim 
objected. 

"Til  show  you.  We'll  be  playing 
camp  and  you  must  come  from  those 
bushes,  bending  over  and  holding  your 
hand  to  your  eyes  to  see  who  we  are. 
When  you  creep  up  and  we  hail  you, 
you  come  right  over  and  exchange  wel- 
comes. We  hand  you  the  peace  pipe 
and  you  sit  down  with  us  and  tell  us  all 
about  the  war.  You  must  have  a  scalp- 
lock  hanging  at  your  belt,  and  this  you 
hold  up  as  you  describe  the  fight.  Then 
you  get  up  and  dance,  and  we  can 
make  believe  that  we  join  you — al- 
though Washington  and  his  friends 
really  didn't  do  that,  'cause  there  were 
plenty  of  Indians  to  do  it,"  said  George. 


80  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"I  haven't  any  hair  for  a  scalp-lock," 
argued  Jim,  speaking  more  literally 
than  he  dreamed  of. 

"I  can  find  something — the  rest  of 
you  pile  up  some  wood  for  a  make- 
believe  fire,  while  I  get  the  scalp-lock," 
commanded  George. 

Martha,  John  and  Jim  gathered  wood 
and  brush  and  piled  it  in  a  heap  in  the 
center  of  a  small  cleared  space,  and 
after  a  short  absence,  George  returned 
holding  the  bunched  roots  of  a  skunk- 
cabbage  plant.  When  the  green  leaves 
were  broken  off,  the  dangling  roots 
with  the  dotted  soil  clinging  to  them 
answered  as  well  as  anything  else  for 
the  war-dance. 

Jim  tucked  the  scalp-lock  in  his  rope- 
belt,  and  hid  behind  the  bushes.  The 
other  three  sat  down  about  the  heap  of 
wood,  and  at  a  signal  the  Indian  crept 
out,  while  George  rose  and  looked 
about  at  the  landscape. 

"Methlnks  I  hear  some  crackling  of 
brush,  my  lord,"  declared  he. 

Martha  giggled  and  John  jumped  up. 
*Ah!   yonder   comes   a   forest   man!" 


fTHE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP,        81 

cried  he,  leaning  forward  to  peer  at  the 
bushes, 

George  turned  then,  and  both  boys 
stood  proudly  waiting  for  the  Indian 
to  come  forward.  Martha,  too  intent 
on  watching  the  boys,  forgot  to  get  up 
from  the  grass. 

"What  brings  my  brother  to  our 
camp?"  asked  George,  with  a  grand 
air. 

"Ah  jus'  finished  scalpin'  five  thou- 
sand enemies,  Mr.  Washerton,  an'  Ah 
fought  yu'd  like  t'  see  de  ha'r  Ah  chopt 
off!"  replied  Jim,  hop-stepping  to  the 
circle. 

"Get  up,  Martha — can't  you  see  we 
men  don't  know  what  the  Indian  will 
do,  so  we  must  be  ready  to  fight?" 
hoarsely  whispered  George  to  his  sister. 

Martha  quickly  jumped  up  with  a  re- 
pentant air,  and  Jim  joined  the  white 
men  at  their  campfire.  John  grinned 
as  Jim  held  out  the  muddy  roots  of  the 
cabbage  and  said : 

"Ah  los'  mah  way  affer  dat  fight,  'cuz 
Ah  had  t'  run  lak  fury  t'  git  away  from 
dem  fierce  enemy.  Ah  could'en  stop  t* 


82  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

cut  no  moh  scalps  off,  or  Ah'd  ben  shot 
full  uv  arrers.  So  heah  Ah  am  wid  de 
tropee." 

"We  welcome  you  to  our  fire, 
brother,  and  ask  you  to  dance  for  us,'* 
said  George,  with  a  serious  bow. 

"You  forgot  the  pipe — hurry  up  and 
find  a  pipe,  some  one!"  prompted  John, 
looking  about  in  the  ground  for  a  suit- 
able stick. 

All  four  sought  eagerly  until  a  stick 
with  a  notch  was  found,  and  this  was 
handed  to  Jim  with  explanations. 

"You  have  to  invite  us  to  smoke  a 
'pipe  of  peace  with  you  before  we  sit 
dov/n  at  the  fire." 

Jim  had  often  played  Indian  with  the 
boys  at  home,  so  he  took  the  pipe,  puffed 
several  times  loudly  at  the  one  end,  and 
made  his  bows  to  the  four  winds  and 
the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  then  to 
the  Great  Spirit;  then  he  passed  it  to 
Lord  Fairfax. 

John  puffed  the  same  way  and  passed 
it  to  George.  When  the  latter  had 
puffed  he  passed  it  to  Martha,  and  she 
puffed  and  passed  it  to  Jim  again.  Then 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP        83 

the  pipe  was  placed  upon  a  spread- 
out  paper  (as  a  substitute  for  a  blan- 
ket) and  the  Red  Man  was  ready  to 
dance. 

John  banged  the  bottom  of  the  tin 
pail  for  a  drum,  Martha  shook  some 
pebbles  in  her  cup  for  a  rattle,  and 
George  and  Jim  started  the  war-dance. 
IWith  wild  shouts  of  victory  and  frantic 
gestures  of  the  fight,  the  two  warriors 
went  circling  about  the  fire  to  the  music 
of  the  tins. 

Not  until  all  were  hoarse  from  shout- 
ing and  laughing,  and  limbs  as  well  as 
breath  gave  out,  did  the  Indians  stop  to 
fall  upon  the  grass  and  roll  over  in  sat- 
isfaction. 

"That  was  the  best  war-dance  we 
iever  had,"  John  said. 

"It  takes  the  forest  and  camp  life  to 
make  it  good,"  explained  George. 

"What  now?"  asked  Martha,  who 
was  not  as  exhausted  as  the  others. 

"I  guess  we'll  have  to  hunt  a  bear 
for  steaks,  or  a  buck  for  venison,"  sug- 
gested George,  looking  for  the  sun  that 
he  might  guess  the  time  of  day. 


84  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

John  followed  his  gaze  and  suddenly 
sat  up. 

"Oh!  look  at  that  dark  cloud!'* 
gasped  he. 

!  All  four  turned  eyes  upward,  and 
sure  enough  a  heavy  bank  of  clouds 
,was  fast  hiding  the  blue  sky  and  sun. 
At  the  same  time,  an  ominous  roll  of 
thunder  sounded  almost  overhead. 

"I'm  afraid  of  the  woods  when  it 
rains,"  said  Martha,  looking  anxiously 
about  for  some  shelter. 

"Pooh!  You  know  that  during  the 
long  survey  trip  of  Washington's  which 
we  are  pretending  now,  it  rained  so 
hard  that  they  were  soaked  lots  of  times 
— and  that  is  why  they  had  to  ford  the 
river  and  leave  their  horses  at  some 
farm  while  they  went  on  up  the  stream 
in  canoes.  This  rain  will  make  things 
more  real,"  exulted  George,  but  he  ran 
for  a  blanket  and  began  to  open  it  for 
a  cover. 

"Mah  shirt  hain't  dry  from  dat  pail 
uv  water  yit.  Ah  don'  wan'ta  git  all  wet 
inside  on  dis  red  flannerl!"  complained 
Jim. 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP        85 

"I'll  tell  you  what!  Let's  roll  us  up 
in  the  two  blankets  and  sit  under  that 
big  oak  tree,"  suggested  John,  seeing 
George  appropriate  one  whole  blanket 
for  himself. 

"You  mustn't  sit  under  a  tree  in  a 
thunder  storm — it's  sure  to  be  hit  by 
lightning  when  you're  under  it!"  cried 
Martha. 

"Mah  mammy  says  t'  find  rosin  quick 
and  smear  yoh-self  wid  it  so's  the  fury 
uv  de  lightnin'  don'  strike!"  warned 
Jim. 

"That's  all  bosh — good  enough  for 
girls  and  superstitious  folks,  but  the 
real  thing  is  that  lightning  strikes  a  high 
point  like  a  tall  tree,  or  is  detracted  by 
rosin  and  stuff  in  a  pine  tree.  That's 
why  a  pine  tree  is  safest  in  a  storm," 
bragged  George. 

The  three  looked  admiringly  at  the 
future  general,  and  Martha  said  to  her- 
self: "Now,  I  wonder  where  he  read 
that?" 

Finally,  the  four  hurried  surveyors 
managed  to  hang  the  two  blankets  over 
a  clump  of  alder-bushes  growing  near 


86  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

the  brook,  and  as  the  rain  began  fall- 
ing, they  crept  under  the  canopy  thus 
made,  and  sat  huddled  together. 

Flash  after  flash  forked  back  and 
forth  through  the  gloom  of  the  woods, 
while  peal  after  peal  of  ear-splitting 
thunder  cracked  and  thundered  till  the 
trembling  children  wished  they  had 
never  come  on  Lord  Fairfax's  survey- 
ing tour. 

When  the  storm  was  at  its  height,  a 
lurid  flash,  a  deafening  roar,  and  a  ter- 
rific crashing  as  if  the  forest  were 
being  torn  up  by  the  roots,  made  the 
campers  all  scream  with  one  voice. 

At  the  same  time,  the  blankets,  laden 
with  rain-water  and  sagging  gradually 
in  the  center  so  that  they  bent  the  wil- 
lowy bushes  over,  now  fell  in  on  the 
frightened  children,  deluging  them  with 
the  reservoir  of  water,  and  causing 
them  to  believe  that  lightning  had 
struck  them  to  the  ground.  So  firm  was 
the  belief  of  each  one,  that  they  were 
all  so  helpless  that  not  one  dared  to  try 
and  get  up  and  grope  about  to  find  the 
others. 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP.        87 

Finally  George  managed  to  throw  off 
the  soaking  blanket  and  look  about. 
The  others  also  sat  up  and  found  they 
were  all  safe  and  sound.  But  the  great 
oak  tree  that  had  offered  such  splendid 
shelter  to  the  ignorant,  was  split  in  half 
— a  part  hanging  across  the  boughs  of 
other  trees,  and  part  having  crashed 
through  many  tender  young  trees  to  lie 
on  the  ground,  a  great  and  mighty  ob- 
struction on  the  trail  of  the  woods. 

"I  want  to  go  home,"  said  Martha, 
with  trembling  lips. 

Jim  had  burrowed  his  head  under  the 
blankets  again  the  moment  he  saw  the 
terrible  havoc  made  by  the  lightning, 
and  John  sat  pale-faced  watching 
George.  The  latter  rose  bravely  to  the 
trial. 

"This  is  just  the  sort  of  thing  Wash- 
ington had  to  live  through  to  make  him 
the  great  soldier  he  was !" 

"Well,  I  don't  care  if  he  did— Fm 
not  Washington,  and  I  never  said  I 
wanted  to  be  a  surveyor!  I  just  said  I 
would  play  Lady  Washington,  or  Mar- 
tha Custis  when  she  was  his  sweet- 


88  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

heart,  and  I'm  going  home  now!"  de- 
clared Martha. 

"I'm  going  to  see  that  Martha  gets 
back  safe,"  said  John  diffidently. 

"Lem'me  go  wid  yoh — Ah'm  'fraid 
to  stay  out  in  dis  surwey  camp  all 
night!"  whined  Jim,  twisting  his  head 
from  under  the  blankets. 

"You  shan't!  I'm  commander,  and 
we  must  stay  to  do  just  like  Washing- 
ton and  his  companions  did  on  that  trip. 
This  thing  is  just  what  we  wanted  to 
show  what  stuff  we  were  made  of!'^ 
cried  George,  trying  manfully  to  be 
courageous,  but  his  voice  showing  in 
its  quavering  that  he  too  preferred  a 
warm,  dry  house  with  comparative 
safety  to  this  wet,  uncertain  forest  life. 

"I'm  Lord  Fairfax,  and  I  tell  you 
we  won't  camp  here  any  longer.  I'm 
going  to  order  my  surveyors  and  ser- 
vants to  start  for  the  Castle — or  what- 
ever place  you  say  Lord  Fairfax 
owned,"  said  John,  pulling  Jim  upon 
his  shaking  legs. 

But  the  plan  was  not  carried  out  as 
quickly   and  easily  as   Lord   Fairfax 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP        89 

thought  possible.  First,  the  soaked 
blankets  were  very  heavy  and  unpleas- 
ant to  carry.  Second,  evening  was  com- 
ing on  apace,  and  the  children  were 
hungry,  wet,  and  strange  in  the  sur- 
roundings, so  it  was  difficult  to  find  a 
way  back  to  the  muddy  country  road. 
Third,  Jim  kept  looking  over  his  shoul- 
der for  the  "hoo-doo"  with  which  his 
mammy  generally  frightened  him  into 
good  bahavior,  so  that  he  caught  his 
feet  time  and  again  and  fell  headlong 
in  the  grass  or  bushes. 

After  devious  wanderings,  and  many 
protests  against  the  briars  and  stubble 
that  caught  or  tripped  them,  the  four 
surveyors  reached  the  dark  and  muddy 
road. 

"S'pose  we  go  to  the  farm-house  and 
ask  the  man  to  take  us  home?"  sug- 
gested George,  who  really  felt  fearful 
of  traveling  an  unknown  road  with 
three  tired,  frightened  companions. 

"Oh  yes,  let's!"  sighed  Martha. 

So  they  plunged  through  puddles, 
over  hummocks  of  mud,  and  across  a! 
field  of  early  wheat,  to  reach  the  place 


90  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

>vhere  a  stream  of  lamp-light  gleamed 
from  a  farm-house  window. 

The  kind-hearted  farmer  and  his 
wife  heard  the  pitiful  tale  of  "Wash- 
ington" and  "Lord  Fairfax"  and,  being 
modern  farmers  with  telephone,  electric 
light  and  other  conveniences  in  the 
house,  they  telephoned  to  the  homes  of 
the  wayfarers  to  quiet  any  anxiety 
caused  by  their  absence. 

"Your  grandma  says  every  one  in 
your  house  is  out  hunting  for  you,  and 
John  Graham's  father  was  telegraphed 
about  your  being  lost.  Now  they  will 
telephone  again  to  Washington  to  re- 
lieve their  fears  in  case  the  telegram 
has  arrived,"  said  the  farmer,  coming 
from  the  hall  where  the  'phone  was. 

A  good  hot  supper  and  a  warm  bed 
— the  wet  clothes  having  been  hung 
about  the  kitchen  fire  to  dry — soon 
made  the  four  surveyors  feel  at  peace 
again,  so  that  George  whispered  to 
John,  his  bed-fellow,  that  the  trip  was 
just  like  the  one  Washington  and  Lord 
Fairfax  had  had. 

"All  the  same,  I'll  be  glad  to  get 


THE  SURVEYOR'S  CAMP        91 

home  again,"  mumbled  John,  half 
asleep. 

"Why,  that's  just  it!  Didn't  George 
Washington  write  in  his  journal  that 
he  was  glad  to  get  back  home?'^ 
chuckled  George. 

And  as  George  planned  further  ex- 
periences in  the  great  Washington's 
life,  John  slept  the  sleep  of  the  care- 
free Lord  Fairfax,  while  Martha: 
dreamed  she  was  trailing  silk  and  satin 
gowns  over  mud-puddles  and  briars, 
and  Jim,  the  Indian,  shot  unlimited  ar- 
rows and  killed  scores  of  warrior  ene- 
mies. 

About  the  same  time,  a  telegram,  a! 
telephone  message,  and  presentiments; 
of  mischief  at  home,  reached  the  par- 
ents of  the  surveyors,  and  the  follow- 
ing telegram  was  wired  back  to  those 
left  in  charge  of  the  two  houses: 

"Lock  them  up  in  a  safe  upper  roonl 
until  we  return." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  FIRST  TASTE  OF  BATTLE 

THE  Parkes  ended  their  visit  to 
Washington  some  days  earlier 
than  they  had  at  first  planned,  for 
they  felt  uneasy  about  affairs  at  home. 
[When  the  four  "surveyors"  were  found 
quite  safe  and  restless  at  the  enforced 
imprisonment  in  the  house,  they  felt 
grateful  for  that  much  relief  to  their 
fears  and  presentiments. 

As  was  customary,  Mrs.  Parke  read 
again  from  the  book  the  rules  and  pre- 
cepts which  were  meant  to  guide  and 
govern  the  youthful  descendants  of  the 
illustrious  Father  of  his  Country: 

"  *I5.  Mock  not,  nor  jest  at  any- 
thing of  importance ;  break  no  jests  that 
are  sharp-biting,  and  if  you  deliver  any- 
thing that  is  witty  or  pleasant,  abstain 
from  laughing  thereat  yourself. 

92 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  93 

"  *i6.  Wherein  you  reprove  another 
be  unblamable  yourself,  for  example  is 
more  prevalent  than  precepts. 

"  '17.  Use  no  reproachful  language 
against  any  one ;  neither  curse  or  revile. 

"  *i8.  Be  not  hasty  to  believe  flying 
reports  to  the  disparagement  of  any. 

"  '19.  In  your  apparel  be  modest, 
and  endeavor  to  accommodate  nature 
rather  than  to  procure  admiration;  keep 
to  the  fashion  of  your  equals,  such  as 
are  civil  and  orderly  with  respect  to 
times  and  places. 

"  *20.  Play  not  the  peacock,  looking 
everywhere  about  you  to  see  if  you  be 
well  decked,  if  your  shoes  fit  well,  if 
your  stockings  sit  neatly,  and  clothes 
handsomely. 

"  *2i.  Associate  yourself  with  men 
of  good  quality,  if  you  esteem  your  own 
reputation;  for  it  is  better  to  be  alone 
than  in  bad  company. 

"  '22.  Let  your  conversation  be 
without  malice  or  envy,  for  it  is  a  sign 
of  a  tractable  and  commendable  nature; 
and  in  all  cases  of  passion,  admit  rea- 
son to  govern. 


94  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"  '23.  Utter  not  frivolous  things 
among  grave  and  learned  men;  nor 
very  difficult  questions  or  subjects 
among  the  ignorant;  nor  things  hard 
to  be  believed. 

"  '24.  Be  not  immodest  in  urging 
your  friend  to  discover  a  secret. 

"  '25.  Break  not  a  jest  where  none 
takes  pleasure  in  mirth;  laugh  not 
aloud,  nor  at  all  without  occasion. 
Deride  no  man's  misfortune,  though 
there  seem  to  be  some  cause.'  " 

Mrs.  Parke  reached  this  selection 
when  George  asked  her  pardon  for  in- 
terrupting the  reading. 

"Mother,  don't  you  think  it  is  much 
better  to  read  a  few  of  such  precepts, 
and  let  Martha  and  I  ponder  them  well, 
instead  of  filling  our  thoughts  overfull 
so  we  can't  tell  what  was  read?" 

"If  I  were  sure  of  your  pondering 
anything  worth  while,  I  might  feel 
more  inclined  to  read  the  few  over  and 
over  to  you,  until  you  had  memorized 
them.  But  I  doubt  if  you  would  do 
it,"  replied  Mrs.  Parke,  understanding 
her  son's  thought. 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  95; 

"OH,  I  didn't  mean  for  you  to  repeat 
and  repeat — that  would  become  monot- 
onous for  us  all ;  wouldn't  it,  Martha?" 
said  George  anxiously. 

"Yes,  indeed!  Just  stop  where  you 
were,  mother,  and  give  us  time  to  think 
over  what  you  have  read,"  responded 
Martha. 

"No,  do  not  stop  there,  but  read  some 
other  part  of  American  history,"  hinted 
George. 

"I  think  I  will  continue  the  precepts," 
said  Mrs.  Parke  meaningly,  and  the 
two  culprits  sighed  and  resigned  them- 
selves as  well  as  they  could  to  the  in- 
evitable. 

"  *26.  Speak  not  injurious  words, 
neither  in  jest  nor  in  earnest;  scoff  at 
none,  though  they  give  occasion. 

"  '27.  Be  not  forward,  but  friendly 
and  courteous;  the  first  to  salute,  hear 
and  answer ;  and  be  not  pensive  when  it 
is  time  to  converse. 

"  '28.  Detract  not  from  others, 
neither  be  excessive  in  commending. 

"  '29.  Go  not  thither,  where  you 
know  not  whether  you  shall  be  welcome 


96  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

or  not.    Give  not  advice  without  being 
asked,  and  when  desired  do  it  briefly. 

"  *30.  Reprehend  not  the  imperfec- 
tions of  others ;  for  that  belongs  to  par- 
ents, masters  and  superiors. 

"  '31.  Gaze  not  on  the  marks  or 
blemishes  of  others,  and  ask  not  how 
they  came.  What  you  may  speak  in 
secret  to  your  friend,  deliver  not  before 
others. 

"  '32.  When  another  speaks,  be  at- 
tentive yourself,  and  disturb  not  the 
audience.  If  a  man  hesitates  in  his 
words  help  him  not,  nor  prompt  him 
without  being  desired;  interrupt  him 
not,  nor  answer  him  till  his  speech  be 
ended. 

"  '33.  Make  no  comparisons ;  and  if 
any  of  the  company  be  commended  for 
any  brave  act  of  virtue,  commend  not 
another  for  the  same. 

"  '34.  Be  not  apt  to  relate  news  if 
you  know  not  the  truth  thereof.  In  dis- 
coursing of  things  you  have  heard, 
name  not  your  author  always.  A  secret 
discover  not. 

*35.    Undertake  not  what  you  can- 


ii  i. 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  97 

not  perform,  but  be  careful  to  keep 
your  promise. 

"  '36.  Speak  not  evil  of  the  absent, 
for  it  is  unjust. 

"  *37.  Set  not  yourself  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  table,  but  if  it  be  your  due, 
or  that  the  master  of  the  house  will  have 
it  so,  contend  not  lest  you  should  trou- 
ble the  company. 

**  *38.  When  you  speak  of  God,  or 
His  attributes,  let  it  be  seriously,  in  rev- 
erence. Honor  and  obey  your  natural 
parents,  though  they  be  poor. 

"  *39.  Let  your  recreations  be  man- 
ful, not  sinful. 

"  *40.  Labor  to  keep  alive  in  your 
breast  that  little  spark  of  celestial  fire 
called  conscience.' " 

As  Mrs.  Parke  concluded  the  for- 
tieth precept,  George  sat  up  with  an 
eager  expression  and  Martha  heaved  a 
profound  sigh  of  mingled  weariness 
and  relief. 

"Now,  mother,  read  the  story  of  the 
first  battle!"  cried  George. 

"I  had  better  postpone  that  for  the 
teacher  to  read.    We  expect  you  to  start 


98  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

regular  lessons  shortly,"  replied  Mrs. 
Parke. 

"Oh,  but  we  would  rather  have  you ! 
You  read  it  so  real  for  us,"  exclaimed 
Martha  coaxingly. 

"I  don't  think  I  will  read  it  now,  but 
I  will  tell  you  a  short  story  of  it," 
answered  the  mother,  thoughtfully 
weighing  the  possibilities  of  these  two 
devoted  followers  of  the  great  general 
being  able  to  find  anything  suggestive 
of  more  mischief  in  what  she  was  about 
to  relate. 

Feeling  quite  sure  that  her  tale  would 
Be  harmless,  she  began: 

"The  long-legged,  lank,  hollow- 
chested,  awkward  boy  had  now  grown 
into  a  stalwart  man,  commanding-look- 
ing, powerful  in  physique,  gracious 
though  dignified,  and  in  fact,  as  perfect 
and  desirable  a  leader  as  could  be  found 
the  world  over  at  that  time. 

"He  was  a  loyal  subject  of  the  Eng- 
lish sovereign,  and  never  dreamed  of 
hostilities  against  the  Crown,  but  he 
was,  as  many  other  English  subjects,  a 
foe  to  the  French — the  very  nation  that 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  99 

later  was  to  become  the  friend  and 
helper  of  the  colonists. 

"When  the  French  began  trespassing 
on  lands  that  the  Crown  called  its  own, 
it  became  necessary  for  Governor  Din- 
widdle to  send  the  ablest  man  he  could 
find  to  negotiate  with  the  Indian  tribes, 
and  warn  the  French  to  refrain  from 
further  trespassing  on  English  territory. 

"The  man  selected  for  this  arduous 
errand  and  important  mission,  was  the 
young  surveyor,  now  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  who  threw  off  the  temptations 
of  social  life  at  his  country  estates,  and 
all  the  delights  that  go  with  a  favorite's 
career,  to  serve  his  colony  and  people 
at  this  momentous  period. 

"He  combined  a  profound  knowl- 
edge of  Indian  craft  and  cunning,  and 
having  heard  of  the  machinations  of 
the  French,  he  started  out  with  an  im- 
pelling determination  to  succeed  in  his 
mission,  that  carried  all  obstacles  from 
his  pathway. 

"In  company  with  a  French  interpre- 
ter, a  scout,  and  four  Indian  traders  and 
servants,  he  started  out  for  Ohio  to  con- 


100  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

fer  on  as  delicate  a  subject  as  had  ever 
presented  itself  to  a  diplomat. 

"After  meeting  and  having  council 
with  the  sachems  of  the  Indian  tribes, 
Washington  secured  help  from  the  Red 
Men  in  safeguarding  their  property 
and  their  lives  against  the  French  In- 
dians, who  had  taken  up  the  'hatchet^ 
against  them. 

"Through  marshes,  pathless  forests, 
over  cliffs,  down  mountainsides,  and 
surmounting  every  barrier  of  progress 
of  the  intrepid  Commander  Washing- 
ton, the  Red  Men  fought  side  by  side 
with  the  white  brothers  until  they 
reached  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Duquesne, 
the  French  settlement  on  the  site  of 
which  now  is  the  great  city  of  Pitts- 
burg. 

"Here  Washington  delivered  the  mes- 
sage from  Dinwiddie,  and  at  the  same: 
time  used  his  apt  powers  to  the  utmost 
to  learn  the  ability  and  energy  of  the 
French,  the  cunning  and  customs  of 
the  Indians,  so  that  he  might  know 
just  what  would  result  from  his  visit  to 
Fort  Le  Boeuf. 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  101 

"TEe  puElicatlon  of  Washington's 
reports  roused  the  people  to  the  danger 
menacing  their  country,  and  as  the 
French  continued  their  advance  down 
the  Ohio  valley,  the  English  realized 
that  it  must  be  stopped.    But  how? 

"Washington  described  the  lay  of  the 
land  where  the  Monongahela  and  Al- 
leghany rivers  rushed  together  to  form 
the  Ohio,  and  he  recommended  the 
building  of  a  fort  at  this  site  which 
^ould  command  the  situation,  making 
a  veritable  key  to  the  West — the  vast 
land  where  no  white  man  had  yet  ven- 
tured. 

"Governor  Dinwiddle  was  quick  to 
grasp  the  wisdom  of  the  plan,  and  im- 
mediately raised  and  equipped  two  com- 
panies, of  one  hundred  men  each, 
Washington  to  command  one,  and  Wil- 
liam Trent  the  other.  Orders  given 
said  that  the  men  were  to  proceed  at 
once  to  the  establishment  by  the  *Ohio 
Company'  of  a  fort,  which  would  be 
'defensive  of  the  great  grants  of  land 
ito  settlers,  but  would  also  act  on  the 
'offensive,  should  any  one  interfere  with 


102  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

or  resist  the  performance  of  the  laws 
and  regulations  of  the  English. 

"Washington  was  not  in  sole  com- 
mand of  this  band  of  200  picked  men, 
but  an  Oxford  graduate  named  Colonel 
Joshua  Fry.  The  young  Virginian  was 
second  in  command. 

"But  the  expedition  failed,  Fry  dying 
at  Winchester,  and  Trent's  command 
being  surrounded  and  captured  by  Con- 
trecoeur,  the  French  commander  at  the 
Forks,  then  called  Duquesne  in  honor 
of  the  governor-general  of  Canada. 

"This  left  the  supreme  command  on 
Washington,  now  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  The  difficulties  of  the  situation  in 
trackless  woods  without  food  or  ammu- 
nition, fordless  rivers  to  cross,  almost 
impassable  forests  to  be  hewn  for  trails, 
vague  rumors  of  French  companies  fill- 
ing the  men  with  alarm  of  an  ambush, 
show  what  the  young  commander  had 
to  contend  with. 

"Finally,  Washington  reached  the  In- 
dians' camp  where  the  Half-King  con- 
sented to  go  with  the  white  men  to 
strike  the  French.    After  an  engage- 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  103 

merit  of  about  fifteen  minutes,  the 
French  company  was  beaten.  Ten 
were  killed,  one  wounded  and  twenty- 
one  prisoners  were  taken  at  this  battle. 

"After  the  skirmish,  the  Half-King 
sent  the  Frenchmen's  scalps  with  a 
hatchet,  to  all  the  Indian  tribes  in 
union  with  him.  So  the  Mingoes  and 
Shawanese  promised  to  join  in  the  war. 

"This  little  skirmish  was  really  the 
beginning  of  the  war  that  set  Europe 
on  fire.  The  death  of  Jumonville 
brought  reinforcements  to  the  garrison 
at  Duquesne,  and  with  the  French  from 
Montreal  came  a  large  force  of  In- 
dians. Commands  were  given  to  kill 
the  English  anywhere — on  soil  claimed 
by  the  French  or  on  their  own  territory. 

"From  Indian  scouts,  the  French 
learned  of  the  position  held  by  Wash- 
ington, and  in  a  short  time  the  two 
forces  met. 

"From  the  few  in  numbers,  and  the 
poor  position  held  by  Washington,  sur- 
rounded as  he  was  on  all  sides  by  the 
superior  forces  of  the  French,  the  Eng- 
lish were  overpowered,  and  after  a  par- 


104  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

ley,  were  permitted  to  retreat  with  fly- 
ing colors  and  beat  of  drum,  while  the 
victors  took  possession  of  the  place. 

"At  the  beginning  of  the  attack,  the 
French  had  killed  all  the  horses,  cattle, 
and  living  creatures  they  could  find,  so 
that  the  English  had  to  carry  away 
their  wounded  on  their  backs  to  a  place 
of  safety  where  they  were  left  with  a 
guard,  while  the  rest  of  the  company 
made  forced  marches  to  a  place  sixty 
miles  distant,  where  inhabitants  could 
be  found  to  help  in  the  distressful  cir- 
cumstances. 

"The  bravery  and  spirit  displayed  by 
Colonel  Washington  and  his  little  band 
toward  the  superior  forces  of  the 
French  at  Fort  Necessity,  drew  from 
the  burgesses  hearty  appreciation  and 
a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  gallant  young 
commander  who  had  held  out  so  long 
against  the  foe. 

"One  excellent  purpose  this  first  de- 
feat of  Washington's  served:  It  roused 
the  colonies  like  an  alarm-bell,  to  the 
immediate  co-operation,  combination, 
and  concentration  of  ways  and  means 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  105 

to  resist  the  peril  now  shadowing  the 
western  frontier. 

"About  this  time  France  was  consid- 
ered irresistible  on  land,  with  her  i8o,- 
000  veterans,  as  England  was  on  the 
seas,  where  she  had  over  two  hundred 
warships.  So  when  eighteen  French 
warships  started  out  with  3,000  regu- 
lars for  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
in  Canada,  an  English  fleet  set  sail  in 
pursuit  to  destroy  this  formidable 
armada. 

"The  fogs  off  the  coast  of  Newfound- 
land, however,  assisted  the  French 
boats  to  escape  with  the  loss  of  but 
three  of  the  fleet.  The  English  were 
informed  of  the  failure  of  the  enter- 
prise, and  General  Braddock  was  sent 
with  regular  troops  to  fight  unseen  dan- 
gers in  the  New  World.  By  February, 
1755,  the  gallant  Britishers  were  landed 
at  Hampton  Roads. 

"After  a  conference  of  five  gover- 
nors, Braddock  was  apportioned  to  the 
least  attractive  of  all  points — Duquesne. 
No  horses  or  wagons,  no  food  for  the 
army,  no  arrangements  of  the  necessary 


106  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

kind,  had  been  planned  for  by  the  col- 
onists, and  Braddock  fumed  and  abused 
everybody  for  the  lack  of  preparedness. 

"But  Benjamin  Franklin  secured  a 
hundred  and  fifty  wagons  and  outfits 
for  the  regulars,  so  that  they  could 
move  to  their  destination.  Thus  the  fa- 
mous Franklin  took  his  well-earned 
place  in  the  lime-light  of  the  American 
public. 

"Braddock  had  heard  of  Washington 
and  his  unusual  qualities,  and  at  once 
invited  the  young  soldier  to  accompany 
him  in  this  important  mission  against 
the  French. 

"Washington  was  flattered  by  the  let- 
ter and  invitation,  and  replied  at  once 
that  he  would  gladly  serve,  if  he  be  per- 
mitted to  return  should  inaction  in  war 
warrant  it,  to  look  after  important  busi- 
ness affairs  of  his  own. 

"Braddock  willingly  conceded  these 
requests,  for  he  knew  the  value  of  an 
experienced  soldier  and  forester  such 
as  the  young  American  was. 

"But  spring  passed  and  summer  was 
well  on,  and  still  the  army  had  not  left 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  107 

Fort  Cumberland,  the  place  of  assem- 
bly, one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from 
Fort  Duquesne.  Fifty-two  miles  be- 
yond Fort  Cumberland  lay  Fort  Neces- 
sity, only  too  familiar  to  Washington 
as  the  scene  of  his  capitulation  to  the 
French  a  few  months  previous. 

"About  the  middle  of  June  the  army 
began  to  cleave  its  difficult  pathway 
through  a  primeval  forest.  So  arduous 
was  this  work,  that  in  ten  days  the  men 
had  but  hewn  thirty  miles  from  their 
starting  point.  As  is  now  known,  all 
this  work  was  a  great  blunder.  The 
army  should  have  followed  Franklin's 
advice — landed  at  Philadelphia,  ad- 
vanced westward  through  the  popu- 
lated fertile  country  of  Pennsylvania^ 
and  finished  the  campaign  in  six  weeks. 
As  it  was,  however,  it  took  four  and 
a  half  months  to  end  the  game. 

"At  Frazier,  seven  miles  from  Du- 
quesne, the  British  were  unexpectedly 
attacked  by  about  nine  hundred  French- 
men and  Indians.  At  this  time  Brad- 
dock  had  about  thirteen  hundred  men 
plunging  ignorantly  into  the  wilder- 


108  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

ness,  never  dreaming  of  sending  out 
scouts  or  skirmishers,  although  the  Vir- 
ginians were  fully  aware  of  the  dangers 
of  the  advance,  and  futilely  advised 
the  practise  in  Indian  warfare. 

"But  it  was  the  mistreatment  of  the 
Iroquois  Indians  that  wrought  Brad- 
dock's  ruin,  for  when  the  forests  echoed 
with  the  war-cries  of  the  Indians,  the 
forest  trees  became  living  columns  of 
fire,  and  the  stately  forest  aisles  were 
choked  with  smoke. 

"A  thousand  gallant  British  and  Vir- 
ginians lay  pierced  with  bullets,  ar- 
rows, and  scalped  with  tomahawks. 
Only  twenty-three  out  of  the  eighty-six 
officers  escaped,  while  Braddock  was 
shot  down  when  his  men  began  the  wild 
rush  backward. 

"Washington,  weakened  by  fever, 
broken  in  mind  by  the  fatality,  buried 
the  misguided  general  where  the  sav- 
ages could  not  discover  the  grave. 

"But  it  was  this  second  defeat  that 
primed  Washington's  nerves  and  Heart 
against  all  defeat,  and  showed  him  that 
the  hitherto  invincible  Britain  was  only 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  109 

invincible  under  certain  conditions.  He 
began  recruiting  men,  and  in  May, 
1756,  war  was  formally  declared  against 
France." 


CHAPTER  VII 

HOW  GEORGE  APPLIED  HISTORY 

DURING  the  story  told  by  Mrs. 
Parke,  George  sat  thinking  in- 
tently over  the  scenes  depicted, 
wishing  he  had  been  with  the  British 
general  and  the  intrepid  Washington 
through  that  awesome  march  and  flight 
in  the  forest. 

Martha  sat  listening  with  intense  in- 
terest to  the  historical  sketch  delineated 
by  her  mother,  and  sighed  as  she  heard 
the  story  was  ended  for  that  day. 

"Now,  children,  run  out  to  play — 
but  remember  to  play  quietly  so  that 
baby  will  not  awaken.  And  don't  play 
with  fire  or  run  away  to  camp  again !" 
advised  Mrs.  Parke. 

"No,  we  won't,  mother ;  but  where  is 
Jim?    We  haven't  seen  him  for  the  past 

no 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY  111 

few  days,"  asked  George,  who  had  a 
plan  for  play  all  developed  and  ready 
to  put  to  the  test. 

"Why,  Jim  is  over  at  Grahams'  visit- 
ing, but  he  is  expected  back  this  noon, 
his  mammy  told  me.  By  the  way,  did 
you  children  know  that  Mrs.  Graham 
brought  John's  cousins  and  aunty  back 
from  Washington,  and  the  three  chil- 
dren are  now  visiting  John?" 

"No,  are  they?"  gasped  George 
eagerly. 

"How  big  are  they?"  asked  Martha. 

"The  two  boys  are  seven  and  twelve, 
and  the  girl  is  about  nine.  They  are 
yery  nice  children,  but  not  accustomed 
to  country  life  as  you  are,"  replied  Mrs. 
Parke,  opening  the  door  to  go  out. 
.  "Mother,  mayn't  we  ask  them  over 
to  play  with  us?"  cried  George,  quickly 
following  Mrs.  Parke  from  the  room. 

"Why,  certainly,  if  Mrs.  Graham  has 
no  other  plans  for  their  amusement.  I 
will  'phone  her  if  you  wish." 

So  George  and  Martha  stood  by  their 
mother's  side  while  she  asked,  and  heard 
that  John  and  his  cousins  would  be  de- 


112  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

lighted  to  spend  the  afternoon  at  the 
Parkes'. 

Mrs.  Parke  warned  the  two  again 
about  playing  in  a  nice,  quiet  manner 
when  the  visitors  arrived,  and  then  she 
hurried  to  the  nursery  to  look  after 
baby. 

Before  she  had  turned  the  corner  of 
the  stairway,  George  was  half-way 
down  the  basement  stairs  in  search  for 
Jim.  He  was  successful,  too,  for  Jim 
had  returned  home  to  his  mammy  an 
hour  before,  had  been  made  much  over 
in  the  guise  of  a  large  slice  of  mince 
pie,  and  now  sat  on  the  stone  step  of 
the  areaway,  pensively  digesting  his 
feast. 

"Jinfi,  come  along!  John's  cousins 
are  coming  over  to  play  with  us!"  whis- 
pered George  eagerly,  watching  alertly 
lest  the  cook  hear  or  see  him  beguiling 
Jim. 

In  another  moment  both  boys  were 
up  the  steps  and  over  the  grass  to  meet 
Martha,  who  stood  waiting  under  the 
lilacs,  as  usual,  the  meeting-place  for 
all  concerned. 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY  113 

"Dem  Washerton  chilluns  am  a  great 
trouble  to  der  mudder,"  exclaimed  Jim, 
rolling  his  eyes  backward. 

"Oh,  yes!  I  forgot  you  were  over  at 
John's.  Do  tell  me  what  they  are  like," 
said  George. 

"Wall,  all  Fse  kin  say,  is  dat  you'se 
two  an'  Marse  John  am  angels  to  dem 
free  from  Washerton — ^mah  daddy 
sayed  so!"  said  Jim,  with  an  all-wise 
air  acquired  since  his  travels  to  the  ad- 
joining estate. 

"Humph!  We'll  show  them  some 
sport  they  never  had  in  a  city!"  bragged 
George,  determined  not  to  have  three 
strangers  from  Washington  take  the 
lead  in  play  when  he  was  around. 

A  cat-call  drew  the  attention  of  the 
.three  waiting  under  the  lilac  bush,  to 
four  running  children  coming  over  the 
lawns  from  the  direction  of  the  high 
stone  wall  on  the  side  between  Parkes' 
and  Grahams'  boundary  line. 

"Where'd  you  come  from?"  won- 
dered Martha,  keenly  eying  the  city 
girl. 

"Hoh  I    George  and  I  could  not  com- 


114  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

pete  in  climbing  and  running  with  Jack 
and  Bob !  And  Win  keeps  up  with  her 
brothers!"  proudly  explained  John,  then 
signifying  that  Win  was  Winifred,  his 
cousin,  while  Jack  was  the  oldest,  and 
Bob  the  youngest  boy,  of  the  visiting 
group. 

"I've  got  a  great  plan  to  play.  Just 
heard  all  about  Washington's  first  real 
battle,  and  it  will  make  great  sport  if 
we  take  sides  and  play  it  properly,'* 
said  George,  too  eager  to  explain  his 
plans  to  stop  for  company's  sake. 

"We  were  just  coming  over  to  see 
what  we  could  do  to  have  some  fun,'* 
said  Jack. 

"How  shall  we  play  it?"  asked  Win, 
showing  a  readiness  to  take  part  in  her 
brothers'  fun  that  quite  won  Martha's 
approval. 

"Why,  I'm  always  George  Washing- 
ton, you  know — seeing  that  he  was  my 
relative,"  the  latter  addition  coming 
from  George,  as  a  semi-apology  for  se- 
lecting the  leading  character. 

"Now,  one  of  you  boys  can  be  Gen- 
eral   Braddock   or   the    French    com- 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY  115 

mander — ^whichever  you  like.  And  the 
two  will  choose  sides.  If  the  French 
take  Bob  the  British  take  John.  Then 
there  is  Jim  for  an  Indian,  and  me  for 
Washington.  The  two  girls  can  be  sol- 
diers, too.  What  do  you  say?/'  con- 
cluded George. 

"Great!  I'll  be  the  Frenchman  and 
John  can  be  Braddock!"  replied  Jack 
instantly. 

"All  right,  then  I'll  choose  George, 
and  you  can  have  Bob.  Jim  will  have 
to  be  fought  over  to  see  who  wins  the 
Indian,  and  the  girls  can  choose  whom 
they  want  to  fight  with,"  replied  John. 

The  next  thing  was  to  find  suitable 
uniforms  and  ammunition.  This  was 
a  difficult  matter,  as  it  necessitated  the 
entering  of  the  old  attic  of  the  Parkes* 
house.  And  should  any  adult  be  prowl- 
ing about  when  George  and  Martha 
crept  up  the  three  flights  of  colonial 
stairs,  it  might  interrupt  the  entire  pro- 
ceeding of  the  most  decisive  and  cer- 
tainly the  greatest  war  these  country 
colonists  had  ever  dared  to  hope  for. 

Hence,  many  were  the  admonitions 


116  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

and  advices  whispered  as  they  started 
off,  leaving  the  French  and  British  ar- 
mies agreed  to  wait  under  the  side  win- 
dows and  catch  any  equipment  that 
might  come  flying  down  from  the  attic 
windows. 

George  and  Martha  reached  the  sec- 
ond floor  landing  without  meeting  any 
one,  but  in  turning  the  short  hall  to 
mount  the  third  floor  stairs,  they  en- 
countered Jim's  mother  coming  down. 

"Whar  yo'  all  creepin'  lak  dat?"  de- 
manded she. 

"Nowhere — only  going  to  the  attic  to 
Hunt  for  some  things  we  want  to  play 
with,"  instantly  replied  the  alert 
IGeorge. 

"Whar's  dat  Jim?  Got  him  wid  you 
agin  in  some  more  uv  yo'  tom-foolery?" 
asked  the  cook  suspiciously. 

"No,  Aunt  Jenny,  we  have  company 
and  we're  all  going  to  play  out  in  the 
fields,"  said  George,  running  upstairs 
to  cut  short  any  further  catechism. 

Martha  followed  after  her  brother 
and  the  cook  stood  looking  after  them 
[for  some  time,  but  not  seeing  them  re- 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY;  117 

appear  with  any  doubtful  package,  she 
continued  on  down  to  her  kitchen. 

Naturally,  the  children  would  not  be 
carrying  packages  down  the  dangerous 
passageway  from  attic  to  battlefield, 
when  they  could  toss  the  things  out  of 
the  window  to  the  grass  below. 

To  George's  great  delight,  he  found 
a  bunch  of  turkey  feathers  tied  ready 
for  dusters  that  winter.  A  great  bou- 
quet of  these  was  tied  in  a  Roman- 
striped  table  scarf  and  dropped  from 
the  window. 

"Here's  an  old  brass-buttoned  coat 
that  Lewis's  grandpa's  butler  used  to 
wear,"  whispered  Martha,  hauling  into 
sight  from  a  massive  trunk  the  faded*' 
green  uniform. 

"What  a  find!  Maybe  there's  more 
of  'em!"  excitedly  suggested  George, 
helping  pull  the  things  from  the  chest. 

They  found  the  coachman's  livery 
complete,  with  gray  beaver  hat  and 
cockade.  At  the  very  bottom  of  this 
mine  they  also  drew  out  a  relic  of  the 
Civil  War,  an  old  veteran's  complete 
uniform,  with  its  cap  and  knapsack. 


118  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"Oh,  how  wonderful!"  sighed  Mar- 
tha with  clasped  hands.  "George,  please 
promise  me  that  Win  and  I  may  dress 
up  too,  and  not  fight  in  girls'  skirts!" 

"Oh,  I  don't  know!  Maybe  there 
won't  be  any  uniforms  left  for  you 
girls." 

"Yes,  there  will  be,  too !  I  found  this 
chest,  and  we  girls  will  have  first  pick 
out  of  them  or  you  won't  get  any!"  de- 
clared Martha  defiantly. 

George  was  so  amazed  at  his  sister's 
attitude,  showing  him  plainly  that  wo- 
men of  the  present  day  will  not  be  or- 
dered about  by  mere  males,  that  he 
bowed  meekly  to  her  commands. 

Everything  that  could  be  utilized  in 
the  forthcoming  battle  was  sent  flying 
down  from  the  attic  windows,  and  then 
the  two  pilferers  crept  downstairs. 

When  they  reached  the  porch  not  a 
thing  could  be  seen  of  either  clothing 
or  soldiers,  but  a  careful  whistle  guided 
them  to  the  hedge  back  of  the  lilac 
bushes. 

"We'll  have  great  fun  with  these 
clothes!"  Jack  complimented  George. 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY  119 

"I  told  Martha  that  Win  and  she 
could  have  first  choice  of  the  stuff  to 
dress  up  in,"  added  George  magnani- 
mously. 

"The  girls!  Why,  they  can't  fight 
like  we  can,"  objected  Bob. 

"All  the  same  they're  our  uniforms, 
and  I  found  them!"  retorted  Martha, 
handling  the  items  to  make  her  selec- 
tion. 

"Let  me  tell  you  what  to  do.  I'm 
oldest  here,"  said  Jack.  "Martha  take 
one  article  first.  Win  the  next,  George 
the  next,  me  next,  John  after  me,  then 
Bob,  and  then  Jim." 

"Fine !  Hurry  up,  Martha,  and  take 
something,"  agreed  George. 

So  Martha,  eager  to  graduate  out  of 
girls'  skirts,  took  the  coachman's  striped 
knee-breeches. 

"Now,  Win,  your  turn  next,"  said 
Jack. 

And  Winifred,  who  had  beautiful 
long  curls  which  she  detested,  chose 
the  cocked  hat,  under  which  she  tucked 
her  tresses. 

"Now  George!" 


120  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Then  George  selected  the  brass-but- 
toned coat  of  the  old  veteran's  grand- 
uncle. 

Jack  chose  the  butler's  faded  coat 
with  brass  buttons.  John  looked  the 
items  over  and  took  the  coachman's 
gray  beaver  hat,  Bob  the  trousers,  and 
then  it  was  Jim's  turn. 

True  to  instinct,  Jim  chose  the  striped 
Roman  table  scarf. 

"Boys!  Just  the  thing!  We'll  dress 
Jim  in  the  scarf  and  tie  a  bunch  of 
feathers  to  his  head.  I  can  get  some 
red  chalk  from  the  school-room  and 
streak  war-paint  on  his  face  and  chest  !'* 
cried  George,  with  repressed  excite- 
ment. 

"Fine!"  "Great!"  and  "Wonderful !" 
sounded  from  the  others,  but  Jim  pon- 
dered this  new  plan,  wondering  whether 
this  might  mean  the  unpleasant  repeti- 
tion of  a  scene  like  the  homestead  fire. 

When  all  the  garments  were  divided, 
they  were  apportioned  thus:  Martha 
had  the  breeches  and  vest  of  different 
uniforms ;  Winifred,  the  hat  and  coat  of 
others;  George,  the  coat  and  scabbard; 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY  121 

Jack,  the  butler's  coat  and  a  pair  of 
long  white  duck  trousers;  John,  the 
coachman's  coat  and  beaver  hat;  Bob, 
the  trousers  and  an  odd  coat,  and  Jim 
the  scarf,  feathers  and  a  dull,  small  axe 
from  the  wood-cellar,  picked  up  as 
George  ran  out  of  the  areaway. 

They  were  soon  arrayed,  and  no  one 
being  willing  to  go  to  the  house  for 
the  red  chalk,  it  was  decided  to  add  a 
few  more  turkey  feathers  to  his  costume 
and  streak  his  face  and  neck  with 
grease  from  the  garage  supply. 

Down  back  of  the  row  of  poplars 
near  the  stone  wall — as  far  from  the 
barns  and  house  as  it  was  possible  to 
go — the  contending  armies  arranged  to 
fight  out  the  war  between  England  and 
France. 

"You  French  have  to  climb  that  wall 
and  hold  the  fort  on  the  other  side, 
while  we  chop  through  the  forest  here 
and  get  up  to  fight  you  away,"  said 
John,  looking  up  and  down  the  wall- 
line  for  a  better  suggestion. 

"Ah  no,  we  can't  fight  that  way, 
Johnnie,"  argued  Jack.    "Let's  go  on 


122  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

to  the  hedge  fence  and  fight  through 
that.  Then  we  can  lay  traps,  shoot 
through  and  catch  prisoners." 

This  brilliant  plan  was  immediately 
accepted,  and  the  soldiers  took  their 
Tespective  sides. 

"Which  side  does  Ah  b'long  to?" 
asked  Jim  wistfully. 

"We  don't  know  yet,  Jim.  You're 
an  Iroquois  brave,  and  we  will  both 
try  to  get  you,"  said  George,  pushing 
Jim  into  the  hedge,  where  he  was  asked 
to  hide  and  shoot  arrows  at  both  sides. 

The  ammunition  used  was  composed 
of  beans,  shot  from  pea-shooters,  which 
every  boy  carries  in  his  pockets.  Jim 
had  an  armful  of  short  sticks  to  throw 
■for  arrows,  and  the  generals  each  had 
a  genuine  weapon — one  the  broken 
sword  and  the  other  its  scabbard,  that 
came  from  the  chest  in  the  attic. 

That  was  a  fearful  battle — shots  flew 
back  and  forth,  stinging  the  soldiers 
with  the  impact  of  the  hard  beans;  the 
two  generals  commanded  and  counter- 
manded orders  so  rapidly  and  wildly 
that  both  sides  ran  hither  and  thither 


GEORGE  APPLIES  HISTORY  123 

without  obeying  any  order.  Jim, 
dressed  scantily  in  the  long  brilliant 
scarf  and  plenty  of  turkey  feathers,  re- 
ceived most  of  the  shot,  as  he  was  di- 
rectly on  the  firing  line  in  the  hedge,' 
until  the  French  commander  pulled; 
him  out  and  had  him  fight  on  their, 
side.  ! 

The  fine  green  hedge  was  fast  being 
demolished  by  the  war,  when  Jack 
shouted:  "It's  time  for  Braddock  to 
die!" 

I  ^  "Well,  why  don't  you  send  your  In- 
dian over  to  scalp  him?"  called  George, 
meantime  shooting  with  such  good  aim 
that  the  bean  went  right  into  Jack's 
opened  mouth. 

After  sputtering  over  the  shot,  Jack 
sent  the  Iroquois  creeping  carefully 
through  a  new  breach  in  the  fort,  and 
just  as  General  Braddock  and  Wash- 
ington decided  that  Jim  was  too  timid 
to  come  over  and  fight,  Martha 
screamed  a  warning  shout;  but  it  was 
too  late. 

With  true  savage  subtlety  of  war- 
fare, Jim  brought  down  the  blunt,  small 


124  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

axe  on  Braddock's  head,  wHere  the  stiff 
beaver  fortunately  broke  the  blow. 
Even  as  it  vi^as,  the  British  general  top- 
pled over  from  the  onslaught,  and  had 
to  gasp  for  a  moment  to  recover  his 
breath. 

A  wild  shout  rent  the  air  as  Jim 
jumped  and  danced  a  war-dance,  swing- 
ing his  axe  and  yelling  wildly.  So  un- 
expected was  this  part  of  the  pro- 
gram that  the  French  abandoned 
their  easily-acquired  victory  and  came 
eagerly  through  the  hedge  to  watcK 
Jim's  antics. 

"You  lay  still  where  you  are,  Brad- 
dock,"  commanded  the  young  Wash- 
ington. "I've  got  to  bury  you  before 
this  Indian  gets  here  to  scalp  you !" 

(Whether  John  would  have  received 
proper  burial,  or  the  Iroquois  be  dis- 
suaded from  scalping  his  victim,  can- 
not be  said,  for  the  gardener  and  chauf- 
feur came  upon  the  war  scene,  having 
heard  the  yells  of  the  French  when  they 
downed  the  British  general.  ^ 

The  sight  which  met  their  eyes  was 
so  funny  that  both  men  doubled  over^ 


'         GEORGE  'APPLIES  HISTORY  125 

in  mirth,  and  wisHed  the  families  could 
have  witnessed  this  battle  scene. 

Being  discovered  as  they  were,  the 
children  begged  the  two  amused  wit- 
nesses not  to  tell  any  one.  Then  John 
was  pulled  out  of  the  stiff,  gray  beaver, 
which  had  been  driven  down  over  his 
entire  face  with  the  blow  from  the  axe, 
and  Jim  was  ordered  back  to  civilized 
clothing,  much  against  his  inclination, 
ifor  paint,  war-bonnet  and  Roman- 
stripes  suited  his  tastes  exactly. 

The  bundles  of  clothing  were  rolled 
together  and  left  in  charge  of  the  gar- 
dener, who  agreed  to  smuggle  them 
back  to  the  attic  via  the  housemaid,  his 
daughter.  But  his  promise  was  ignored 
the  moment  he  saw  his  favorite  hedge. 

"Whad*  yo'  mean  by  smashin'  dat  fine 
haidge  lak  dat?  D'yoh  know  it  tuk  us 
five  yeahs  t'  grow  dat  same  bushes  lak 
dat?" 

"Well,  when  two  nations  fight,  every- 
thing goes — they  never  stop  just  for 
houses,  lands  and  hedges!"  retorted 
George. 

"But  yo*  all  destructed  more'n  forty 


126  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

feet  uv  dis  haidge,  an'  yoh  diden  have 
t'  use  more'n  six  feet  ef  yo'  had  t'  fight  !"- 
wailed  the  poor  man. 

Suddenly  from  the  other  side  of  the 
hedge,  came  smothered  cries  and 
amazed  exclamations,  as  Mrs.  Graham 
and  her  friend  peered  at,  and  then 
through  the  well  broken-down  hedge, 
and  beheld  the  victorious  and  van- 
quished soldiers  in  all  their  battle  array. 

Immediately  there  followed  a  retreat 
of  both  armies  that  spoke  well  for  the 
immediate  future  friendship  of  the  ene- 
mies, for  now  they  had  met  a  common  i 
(Waterloo  which  would  necessitate  im-' 
mediate  flight  and  swiftness  to  circum-i 
vent  deserved  punishment  and  impris- 
onment. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DELIGHTFUL  IMPRISONMENT 

MRS.  GRAHAM  soon  reached  the 
Parke  house  and  asked  to  see  the 
mistress  at  once.  Fearing  some- 
thing had  happened  to  her  mischievous 
children,  Mrs.  Parke  ran  downstairs 
and  into,  the  room  where  the  two  ladies 
awaited  her  coming. 

"Anything  dreadful  happen?"  cried 
Mrs.  Parke,  as  soon  as  she  had  greeted 
the  ladies. 

"Nothing  more  than  a  decisive  battle 
between  the  British  and  French.  But 
the  scene  of  the  fight  is  what  has  hap- 
pened," said  Mrs.  Graham,  with  annoy- 
ance at  the  thought  of  the  hedge. 

"What  is  it? — I  haven't  heard  or  seen 
a  thing.  The  little  ones  are  out  play- 
ing about  somewhere  with  John  and 

127 


128  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

his  cousins,"  declared  Mrs.  Parke,  still 
in  the  dark. 

"Maybe  they  were,  but  they  are  not 
now.  I  fancy  they  are  hiding  safely 
somewhere.  But  let  me  tell  you  as  much 
as  I  know." 

The  story  of  how  the  two  ladies, 
while  walking  in  the  rose-garden,  heard 
shouts  and  yells  coming  from  the  ex- 
treme end  of  the  property  line,  and  hur- 
ried over  to  find  the  hedge  almost  hewn 
and  broken  to  pieces,  while  Jack,  com- 
manding the  French,  had  just  nego- 
tiated with  the  gardener  for  the  safe 
conduct  of  the  uniforms  to  the  attic 
again,  was  told  to  an  eager  listener. 

At  the  conclusion  of  how  the  soldiers 
fled  indiscriminately,  Mrs.  Parke  cov- 
ered her  face  with  both  hands  and 
laughed  till  the  tears  rolled  from  her 
eyes. 

"It*s  all  very  well  for  you  to  laugh, 
Kate,  but  just  think  of  what  might  have 
happened  if  John  had  not  been  pro- 
tected by  that  stiff  beaver  hat,"  said 
Mrs.  Graham  angrily. 

"Then  I  wouldn't  have  laughed.  But 


delightful;  imprisonment  129 

he  was  protected,  so  why  conjure  up 
things  that  might  have  been?"  said  Mrs. 
Parke. 

"Because  these  children  must  be 
taught  once  for  all  that  in  one  of  their 
Revolutionary  escapades,  one  of  them 
might  be  very  dangerously  injured — 
perhaps  fatally  so!  John  is  my  son, 
you  know." 

"Yes,  as  much  yours  as  George  is 
mine,  but  children  are  especially  pro- 
tected by  an  all-seeing  Providence.  I'd 
rather  have  them  play  in  good  outdoor 
exercise,  such  as  these  Washington 
ideas  give  them,  than  to  have  them  sulk, 
or  lounge  and  tease  each  other  about  the 
house  or  verandas.  At  least,  you  will 
admit  that  they  are  never  at  a  loss  for 
something  to  keep  them  occupied." 

"Most  assuredly  not!"  sighed  Mrs. 
Graham  emphatically. 

"Well,  I  always  punish  my  two 
youngsters  when  they  do  anything  too 
wild  or  unexpected,  just  to  keep  them 
within  bounds,  but  I  wouldn't  think  of 
forbidding  them  to  play  Washington 
to  their  hearts'  content,  even  if  a  hedge 


130  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS      ^ 

is  broken  down,  or  some  old  family; 
relics  are  utilized  for  the  game." 

"Well,  under  the  circumstances,  I 
suppose  you  are  willing  to  pacify  the 
gardener  for  the  damaged  hedge,  as 
well  as  pay  for  the  new  one,"  said  Mrs. 
Graham,  smiling  feebly  at  the  result  of 
her  visit, 

"I  will  not  have  much  trouble  witK 
the  gardener,  as  he  is  the  sworn  ally 
of  those  children.  As  for  the  hedge,  I 
should  think  you  would  rather  pay  for 
a  broken  bush  than  for  a  son's  broken 
head,"  teased  Mrs.  Parke  laughingly. 

So  it  was  decided  that  each  side  pay 
half  of  the  costs,  and  both  mothers 
punish  again  the  participants  in  the 
life  of  Washington,  although  it  seemed 
doubtful  if  the  children  would  ever  be 
cured  of  the  desire  to  try  a  new  ex- 
perience. 

The  day  following  the  great  battle 
at  the  hedge,  George  and  Martha  were 
told  to  remain  in  the  attic  as  a  punish- 
ment. Now,  both  thought  this  a  dread- 
ful hardship,  although  had  they  been 
told  not  to  go  near  the  attic,  both  would 


DELIGHTFUL  IMPRISONMENT  131 

certainly  have  delighted  in  trying  to  get 
as  near  to  it  as  was  possible,  without 
actually  breaking  their  word  or  being 
downright  disobedient. 

But  a  fine  drizzle  began  falling  about 
ten  o'clock,  and  as  this  would  have 
spoiled  the  day  for  outdoor  fun,  George 
sighed : 

"It's  all  for  the  best,  Martha!    Here' 
we  are  in  the  dry  attic  with  wonderful 
trunks  and  chests  still  to  be  examined, 
while  the  day  might  have  been  fine,  and 
made  us  feel  sorry  to  stay  in." 

"Yes,  but  I  wonder  what  John  and 
the  French  are  doing?"  wondered 
Martha. 

"Jack  said  they  were  going  back  to 
Washington  to-day  or  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, so  I  don't  s'pose  we  will  see  them 
again." 

Martha  went  over  to  the  window  to 
look  out  toward  the  Grahams'  house, 
which  could  be  seen  from  their  third- 
floor  windows.  But  no  one  was  to  be 
seen  at  the  Grahams',  and  she  turned 
to  walk  away,  when  she  spied  an  old 
book-case  filled  with  huge  volumes,  for- 


132  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

merly  the  library  sets  of  her  grand- 
father Parke. 

While  George  rummaged  about  the 
old  chests  and  trunks,  Martha  looked 
over  the  titles  of  the  old  red  morocco 
bindings,  and  finally  called  to  her 
brother : 

"George,  here's  a  pictured  life  of 
Washington.  Help  me  lift  it  down — it 
is  so  heavy." 

Eager  for  amusement,  George  ran 
over,  and  together  they  carried  the  large 
tome  to  the  old-fashioned  settle  by  the 
window,  and  knelt  down  before  it  to 
look  at  the  pictures. 

After  turning  over  the  first  pictures 
in  the  book,  Martha  said:  "Oh,  see! 
here  is  one  of  the  battle  scenes  we 
fought  yesterday.  This  is  the  *Battle  of 
Monongahela!'" 

Both  children  studied  the  expressions 
of  the  savages,  as  they  scalped  the  luck- 
less soldiers,  and  the  courage  of  Wash- 
ington, who  bravely  called  "Forward!" 
to  his  handful  of  men  while  a  mass  of 
Indians  stood  ready  to  scalp  every  one 
of  them. 


DELIGHTFUE  IMPRISONMENT   133 

"Say,  Martha,  aren't  you  thankful  we 
had  a  Washington  in  America?"  said 
George,  as  his  sister  turned  the  page. 

"Yes,  indeed!  Just  think  of  what 
would  have  happened  if  he  had  never 
been  born,"  sighed  Martha,  with  relief 
that  he  had. 

"Here's  where  they  are  burying  Gen- 
eral Braddock.  See  the  men  crying, 
and  some  of  'em  holding  torches  in  the 
dark  woods  so  they  can  see  to  dig  the 
grave,"  said  George  reverently  at  the 
awesome  sight. 

"The  next  chapter  in  the  book  is  all 
about  the  Battle  of  Lake  George.  See 
the  men  in  the  boats  rowing  across  the 
lake?"  said  Martha,  turning  the  page 
on  the  death  scene  that  made  George 
act  so  strangely  different  from  his  us- 
ual independent  self. 

"Mother  never  read  us  that;  s'pose 
we  take  turns  in  reading  it  to  each 
other  while  we  are  shut  up  here?"  ven- 
tured George. 

"So  we  will,  and  maybe  we'll  show 
mother  that  we  know  more  about  Wash- 
ington than  she  thinks;  we  do,"  and 


134  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Martha  arranged  the  cumbersome  vol- 
ume so  that  it  was  easier  to  read  from. 

"I'll  read  first,  and  then  you  take 
your  turn,"  said  she. 

"  'The  expeditions  against  Niagara 
and  Crown  Point  failed,  but  the  fail- 
ures were  not  as  disastrous  as  that  of 
Duquesne.  The  troops  of  the  northern 
sections  assembled  at  Albany,  and  Shir- 
ley took  command  of  the  one  against 
Niagara;  but  many  delays  caused  the 
men  to  be  held  at  Albany  until  the  sea- 
son was  well  advanced.  The  army  was 
composed  of  regiments  from  New 
York,  New  Jersey,  New  England,  and 
a  few  Indians. 

"  Tn  July  he  began  the  march  for 
Oswego,  but  on  the  way  he  heard  of 
the  dreadful  news  of  Braddock's  defeat, 
and  this  spread  such  consternation 
through  the  ranks  that  many  men  de- 
serted, while  the  Indians  showed  signs 
of  turning  to  the  stronger  of  the  war 
parties. 

"  Tt  was  late  in  August  that  he  finally 
managed  to  reach  Oswego,  where  he 
made  a  strenuous  effort  to  fill  up  his 


DELIGHTFUL  IMPRISONMENT  135 

ranks.  All  the  Indians  deserted  here, 
and  he  finally  started  out  for  Niagara, 
but  heavy  rains  and  sickness  in  the 
ranks  caused  him  to  give  up  this  plan. 
So  leaving  seven  hundred  men  to  gar- 
rison the  fort  at  Oswego,  he  started 
back  with  the  remainder  of  his  army  to 
Albany. 

"  'The  army  destined  for  Crown 
Point  consisted  of  about  5,000  men  un- 
der the  command  of  Johnson.  Impa- 
tient to  start  the  campaign,  this  com- 
mander collected  equipment  and  sent  it 
to  a  place  about  sixty  miles  above  Al- 
bany. 

"  'Here  a  fort  was  erected,  and  hav- 
ing left  a  few  men  to  garrison  it,  the 
others  advanced  to  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  Lake  George.  Here  Johnson 
heard  that  the  enemy  was  erecting  a 
fort  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  lake, 
about  fifteen  miles  below  Crown  Point. 

"  'He  was  about  to  move  against  the 
enemy,  thus  hoping  to  reduce  the  work 
on  the  fort  before  it  could  be  defended, 
but  information  caused  him  to  change 
his  plans. 


136  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"  *The  news  was,  that  Baron  DIeskau 
had  arrived  in  Canada  from  France 
with  a  large  army,  and  with  the 
Canadians  and  Indians  was  now  ad- 
vancing rapidly  to  attack  the  English 
settlements.  The  dire  news  was  sent  to 
the  colonies,  and  Johnson  began  to  for- 
tify his  camp.  He  secretly  conveyed  a 
few  cannons  from  Fort  Edward  to  his 
camp,  and  doubling  his  spies  and 
scouts,  awaited  attack. 

"  'Dieskau  proceeded  to  Oswego,  but 
hearing  of  Johnson's  advance  on 
Crown  Point,  he  directed  operations 
against  him,  sure  of  an  easy  victory. 
The  Frenchman's  contempt  for  the 
English  was  increased  when  Johnson, 
through  mistaken  information,  sent 
forth  a  thousand  men  to  attack  the 
French,  who  were  said  to  be  advancing 
incautiously  in  companies. 

"  'Needless  to  say  that  the  report  had 
been  given  out  by  the  French  them- 
selves, and  the  moment  the  English 
were  far  enough  from  camp  to  be 
trapped,  they  were  surrounded  and 
many  were  slain;  but  the  greater  part 


PELIGHTFUL  IMPRISONMENT  137 

of  the  detachment  escaped  to  camp, 
closely  pursued  by  the  victorious 
French. 

"  'Dieskau  had  heard  that  Johnson 
had  no  artillery  at  camp,  and  confident 
of  victory,  he  formed  his  men  to  ad- 
vance in  true  military  style,  instead  of 
attacking  the  fort  at  once. 

"  'Johnson,  determined  to  fight  cour- 
ageously and  defend  the  camp  to  the 
last,  uncovered  the  cannons,  which  so 
confused  the  enemy  that  they  fled  to  the 
woods,  leaving  Dieskau's  ranks  in 
greater  confusion  than  if  a  rout  had 
caused  it. 

"  'The  French  regulars,  however, 
stood  their  ground  and  opened  a  brisk 
fire  on  the  camp,  which  continued  for 
several  hours. 

"  'The  engagement  lasted  until  the 
French  were  compelled  to  retire,  after 
the  loss  of  more  than  i,ooo  men, 
Dieskau  being  mortally  wounded  also, 
and  made  prisoner.  His  remaining 
army,  preparing  to  rest  and  reform 
their  company,  were  surprised,  attacked 
and  all  fled  in  greatest  confusion,  leav- 


138  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS  " 

ing  their  baggage  and  equipment  be- 
hind. 

"  'Johnson  did  not  follow  up  this  vic- 
tory, as  it  was  late  in  the  autumn,  and 
he  decided  that  it  was  a  hazard  too  great 
to  risk  under  the  conditions.  So  he 
built  Fort  William  Henry  at  the  south- 
ern end  of  the  lake,  and  leaving  600 
men  to  garrison  it,  disbanded  the  re- 
mainder of  his  army. 

"  'Thus  did  the  three  main  expedi- 
tions fail,  and  at  the  end  of  1755  the 
French  were  more  firmly  planted  in 
North  America  than  ever  before. 

"  'Having  won  so  easily  the  land  at 
Crown  Point,  and  having  won  other 
important  points,  as  well  as  having 
built  or  strengthened  many  forts,  the 
French  influenced  the  vacillating  minds 
of  the  Indians,  who  began  flocking  to 
their  standard. 

"  'But  when  the  French  endeavored 
to  encourage  the  Cherokees  to  join 
their  side,  the  attempt  only  caused  this 
powerful  nation  to  become  firmer  al- 
lies of  Great  Britain,  and  by  a  treaty 
made  with  the  governor  of  South  Car- 


DELIGHTFUE  IMPRISONMENT  139 

olina,  they  voluntarily  ceded  to  the  king 
of  Great  Britain  a  large  portion  of  their 
territory. 

"  'The  defeat  of  Braddock  and  the 
flight  of  Dunbar  left  the  frontier  of 
Virginia  exposed  to  the  horrors  of  In- 
dian warfare.  Then  the  Assembly 
voted  money  and  men  for  the  protection 
of  the  colonists. 

"  'Colonel  Washington,  being  the 
ablest  man  in  the  colony,  was  appointed 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Virginia 
forces.  With  but  a  thousand  men,  some- 
times not  more  than  seven  hundred,  the 
young  commander  was  expected  to  de- 
fend a  frontier  of  more  than  three  hun- 
dred miles  in  extent,  against  savages  of 
the  crudest  type. 

"  'But  feeling  that  no  time  could  be 
lost,  Washington  proceeded  to  inspect 
the  condition  of  the  frontier  defences. 
He  made  his  headquarters  at  Winches- 
ter on  the  14th  of  September,  1755,  and 
thence  visited  the  different  forts.  While 
on  this  work,  reports  came  that  Indians 
had  attacked  and  were  massacring  the 
settlers  of  the  back  settlements. 


140  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS      ' 

"  'Washington  immediately  changed 
his  course  and  hurried  to  Winchester 
to  induce  the  terrified  people  to  unite 
in  defending  their  families.  But  his 
commands  were  of  no  avail,  in  the  face 
of  the  frightful  deeds,  and  the  fears  of 
the  people,  and  the  enemy  fled  with 
their  plunder  and  captives  to  security 
afforded  them  by  the  guns  at  Fort  Du- 
quesne. 

"  'The  young  commander  knew  that 
repetitions  of  such  acts  could  only  be 
stopped  by  securing  the  fort  of  the 
French  on  the  Ohio.  But  this  was  an 
impossibility,  because  of  few  men  and 
no  means.  And  he  could  not  induce 
the  Assembly  to  increase  either,  to  make 
it  possible  to  protect  the  frontier  prop- 
erly.' 

"That's  as  far  as  I  want  to  read;  now 
you  take  a  turn,"  suggested  Martha, 
rising  from  her  knees  to  make  room  for 
George  to  take  her  place  before  the 
book. 

"Fd  rather  read  about  his  crossing 
the  Delaware  and  the  big  battles  in  the 
Revolution,"  said  George,  turning  the 


DELIGHTFUL  IMPRISONMENT  141 

pages  over  and  over  to  find  the  place 
he  wished. 

"We  ought  to  read  right  along,  and 
not  jump  from  place  to  place  as  you 
do,"  objected  Martha. 

"Oh,  that's  all  right  for  school,  but 
when  we  are  going  to  be  amused  we 
ought  to  find  enjoyable  ways — not  like 
lessons,"  replied  George. 

A  step  on  the  floor  outside  and  a 
hand  at  the  door-knob  dispersed  all 
thought  of  reading,  however,  and  the 
two  prisoners  jumped  up  to  find  out 
who  was  coming  to  see  them. 

A  fuzzy  little  dark  head  popped  in 
iat  the  crack  of  the  door  and  Jim  whis- 
pered : 

"S-sh!  Ah  got  a  bag  uv  ginger- 
snaps.  Mah  mammy  guv  'em  t'  me  t' 
brung  up  heah  fer  us  all." 

"Oh,  goody!  goody!  Come  over  by 
the  window  and  let's  eat  'em,"  said 
Martha  eagerly. 

So  the  book  was  forgotten  for  the 
time,  while  Jim  regaled  his  companions 
with  the  results  of  his  mammy's  splen- 
did art. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    EFFECTS    OF    PRISON    LIFE 

WHEN  the  last  crumb  of  the  gin- 
ger-snaps was  gone,  the  three 
children  jumped  up  and 
looked  around  for  a  suggestion  of  en- 
tertainment. 

"Jim,  did  you  ever  see  the  pictures 
in  this  big  book?"  asked  Martha,  going 
to  the  opened  volume  of  history. 

"No'm,  Ah  hain't  never  see'd  any- 
thin'  but  them  pickshers  in  mah  culler 
book  what  yer  granny  guv  me." 

"Oh,  don't  waste  time  showing  Jim 
that  book  now — let  me  show  him  some 
of  the  old  war  relics  In  this  chest," 
called  George,  lifting  the  lid  of  the 
long  box. 

The  three  children  admired  or 
laughed  at  the  odd-looking  clothes 
found  in  the  chest,  and  then  Martha 
raised  the  lid  of  an  old  hair-trunk  that 

142 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    143 

stood  close  to  the  chest.  She  had  peeped 
into  it  the  day  of  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish battle,  but  being  called  to  help  with 
the  uniforms,  had  forgotten  it  again. 

The  first  thing  she  found  was  an  old 
yellow  linen  slip-cover,  spread  out  so 
that  it  covered  the  entire  top  of  the 
trunk.  But  something  inside  was  care- 
fully pinned  up,  and  a  string  at  the 
open  end  tied  the  contents  safely  within. 

Martha  removed  the  pins  and  untied 
the  strings  and  lifted  one  side  of  the 
linen  bag.  But  whatever  was  carefully 
protected  by  soft  paper  wrappers  with- 
in, could  not  be  seen  without  removing 
the  entire  package  from  the  old  slip- 
cover. So  the*  bag  was  carried  to  the 
settle  and  George  helped  to  slide  the 
package  out. 

More  pins  and  strings  held  the  paper 
about  something  soft  and  swishy. 

"Ooh-ah !  isn't  it  lovely !"  sighed  Mar- 
tha, clasping  her  hands. 

"For  a  girl — ^ye-es,  it  is  pretty!" 
George  grudged. 

"Ah  tink  it  am  de  weddin'  dress  uv 
some    gran'mother,"    remarked    Jim, 


144  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

placing  his  dirty  hands  behind  him  to 
insure  their  not  touching  the  shimmer- 
ing, soft  silk  dress  that  lay  before  them. 

"I  have  an  idea!"  suddenly  exclaimed 
Martha. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  George,  looking 
at  her  curiously. 

"Won't  that  make  the  most  beautiful- 
est  dress  for  Martha  Custis  to  get  mar- 
ried in?"  said  Martha,  in  a  dramatic 
manner. 

"Oh!"  was  all  the  two  boys  dared  to 
say  at  the  idea. 

"And  I'll  wear  curls  made  of  long 
shavings,  and  a  fan — and  maybe  I  can 
borrow  mother's  satin  evening  slippers ! 
What  will  you  wear  at  the  wedding, 
George?"  said  Martha  excitedly. 

"I  don't  know.  Let's  open  this  and 
see  how  long  it  will  be.  You  don't 
want  to  play  getting  married  to-day, 
do  you?"  ventured  George. 

"Oh,  no !  We  have  to  have  you  come 
and  visit  me  and  fall  in  love,  and  then 
ask  me  to  marry  you,  you  know,"  said 
Martha,  with  great  superiority  natural 
to  her  sex. 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    145 

"I  don't  want  to  go  through  all 
that  tom-f oolery !  Let's  get  John  over 
and  just  play  getting  married.  Jim  can 
get  out  and  run  over  for  John  in  some 
way  or  other.  ^Vill  you,  Jim?"  asked 
George. 

"Ah  will  ef  mah  granny  don'  ketch 
me  runnin'  out  de  areaway,"  agreed 
Jim. 

"Say,  Martha,  why  not  let  Jim  down 
out  of  the  window?"  cried  George,  with 
sudden  inspiration. 

"Oh,  fine!    How  can  we  do  it?" 

"Ah,  say!  Ah  did'en  'gree  t'  fall 
down  free  stories!"  objected  the  scape- 
goat of  the  Washington  war-parties. 

"Don't  be  afraid,  Jim!  ,You  won't 
have  to  fall  if  you  do  as  we  tell  you," 
consoled  George. 

"Yeh!  Dat's  what  yo'  all  said  when 
Ah  played  Injun  in  dat  Burdock  fight, 
an'  den  Ah  got  a  wholloping  from  bof 
sides — ^mah  mammy  an'  mah  daddy, 
when  dey  hearn  tell  how  Ah  had  t' 
scalp  Burdock  t'  win  de  fight  fer  de; 
French!"  grumbled  Jim. 

"Oh,  that  was  different!    This  is  only 


,146  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

an  easy  way  for  you  to  get  away  from, 
here  and  look  for  John,  you  see,"  ex- 
plained George  anxiously. 

Martha  had  been  gazing  down,  and 
now  she  turned  to  say:  "We  will  have 
to  tie  rope  or  strips  of  sheets  together 
to  let  him  down  like  firemen  do,  you 
know." 

Immediately  George  began  seeking 
for  a  rope,  and  fortunately  for  the  fu- 
ture experiences  of  the  "Little  Wash- 
ingtons"  he  found  a  great  coil  of  rope 
that  was  placed  near  the  window  to  use 
in  case  of  fire.  One  end  was  secured 
to  an  iron  ring  in  the  beam  under  the 
:window  casing. 

"Oh,  what  luck!  Just  the  thing," 
cried  George,  as  he  began  unwinding 
the  rope. 

"Here  now,  Jim,  stand  over  here  by 
the  window  while  we  tie  you  up.  And 
remember — run  right  over  to  John's 
and  tell  him  to  come  over  and  play 
minister  for  us  to  get  married,"  said 
George,  as  he  reached  the  end  of  the 
rope. 

"No,   no — ^not   to    get   married   so 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    147 

quick!  Only  to  play  being  your  step- 
son," corrected  Martha. 

"How  can  he  be  my  step-son  if  you 
won't  get  married?/'  said  George  scorn- 
fully. 

"Ah  reckon  de  ting  t'  do  is  fer  me 
t'  git  John  heah  an'  let  yo'  all  ack  what 
yo'  lak  afterward,"  mumbled  Jim,  with 
one  of  his  rare  spells  of  brilliancy. 

"Yes,  that's  the  thing  to  do!"  ap- 
proved Martha. 

George  lost  no  time  in  tying  the  rope 
about  Jim's  slim  little  waist,  but  to  make 
doubly  sure  that  it  would  not  slip,  the 
messenger-to-be  begged  his  companions 
to  wind  it  about  again  and  again.  Thus, 
when  Jim  was  pronounced  ready  to  de- 
scend via  the  aerial  route,  he  looked 
more  like  a  rope-bound  mummy  than  a 
live  boy. 

"Safe  and  sure  as  this  floor !"  bragged 
George,  admiring  his  handiwork. 

"Hurry  up  and  let  him  down  or 
some  one  will  come  up  and  stop  us!" 
warned  Martha. 

Between  them,  George  and  Martha; 
dragged  the  heavy  window  settle  away 


,148  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

and  Jim  crawled  out  on  the  sill  to  look 
down. 

"Ah  wish  it  war  higher  up!"  sighed 
he. 

"Higher  up!  Aren't  three  stories 
high  enough?"  cried  George,  taken 
back  for  once  by  Jim's  courage. 

"Ah  means  dat  Ah  wish  dat  grass 
war  higher  up — 'bout  free  feet  under 
this  winder,"  explained  Jim  dolefully. 

His  two  conspirators  exchanged 
glances,  and  George  motioned  Martha 
to  act  quickly  or  Jim  would  bolt. 

Without  further  preliminaries,  Jim 
was  shoved  over  the  window-sill  and 
told  to  "hold  fast"  to  the  rope  till  his 
feet  touched  the  ground.  Instinctively, 
the  victim  clutched  at  the  rope  above 
his  head  as  he  felt  himself  sliding  off 
of  the  shingled  eaves,  and  it  was  well 
he  did  so  at  the  time. 

Neither  one  of  the  plotters  had 
stopped  to  consider  that  the  rope  wound 
about  Jim's  body  might  suddenly  un- 
wind with  the  weight  hanging  at  its 
end,  thus  whirling  the  boy  around  and 
around,  and  swiftly  jerking  him  up  the 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    149 

moment  the  coil  had  found  its  resist- 
ance by  the  loop  tied  about  the  body. 
But  Jim's  hold  on  the  rope  above  his 
head  prevented  any  strain  from  making 
the  rope  unwind  itself  as  the  weight 
was  lowered. 

George  and  Martha  found  that  Jim, 
although  light  in  weight  and  small  of 
size,  was  rather  heavy  when  hung  from 
an  attic  window.  The  force  of  gravi- 
tation from  that  height  added  consider- 
ably to  his  weight,  but  the  children  did 
not  think  of  this. 

"Gracious,  Martha !  Brace  your  feet 
against  this  beam  or  he'll  slip!"  cried 
George,  the  beads  of  moisture  starting 
on  his  forehead. 

"Don't  you  think  he  is  'most  down?" 
breathed  Martha  uncomfortably. 

"I'll  hang  on  to  him  while  you  look 
— be  quick  about  it,  though!"  ordered 
George,  getting  an  extra  twist  of  the 
rope  about  his  wrist  and  bending  back 
on  the  rope. 

Martha  climbed  up  on  the  settle,  and 
looking  from  the  window,  she  saw  Jim 
try  to  get  a  better  hold  on  the  rope  with 


150  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

one  hand  that  was  being  chafed.  He 
was  about  opposite  the  veranda  roof 
at  the  time. 

As  she  looked  he  began  gyrating  fu- 
riously, and  as  he  whirled  he  seemed 
to  drop.  Martha  screamed  frantically, 
making  George  pull  the  harder  to  hold 
up  the  rope — for  he  feared  from  the 
sudden  laxity  on  his  end,  that  the  rope 
had  slipped  in  some  manner. 

Even  as  Martha  yelled,  Jim  came  to 
the  end  of  his  whirl,  and  he  was  yanked 
to  a  halt  by  the  tautness  of  the  rope 
gripped  by  George  in  the  attic.  From 
the  resistance,  he  was  suddenly  stopped 
within  two  feet  of  the  ground.  The 
loop  tied  under  his  arms  had  tightened 
by  the  jerk  upon  it,  so  that  he  could 
not  move,  and  could  scarcely  breathe. 

At  the  time  the  rope  began  to  un- 
wind itself  from  Jim's  body,  George 
was  stretched  almost  flat  upon  his  back 
with  the  strain  he  was  bringing  on  his 
iend  of  the  rope.  George  was  just  go- 
ing to  ease  his  hold  when  the  laxness 
suddenly  ceased  and  the  yank  came,  so 
that  he  was  unceremoniously  pulled  to 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    151 

the  window  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
wall,  he  might  have  been  made  to  fol- 
low Jim's  descent. 

Simultaneously  with  George's  con- 
tact with  the  wall,  Jim  dropped  the 
rest  of  the  way — about  two  feet  from 
the  grass,  and  sprawled  out,  face  down, 
on  Mother  Earth. 

By  this  time  Martha  was  speechless 
from  fright,  and  George,  while  he 
freed  his  skinned  wrist  of  the  rope, 
begged  for  word  about  Jim,  but  to  no 
avail.  His  sister  could  not  utter  a 
sound. 

The  moment  George  saw  Jim 
stretched  on  the  grass,  he  thought  he 
had  fallen,  so  rushing  wildly  from  the 
attic,  he  ran  down  the  stairs,  colliding 
with  his  grandmother,  who  called  to 
know  "What  now?" 

On,  on,  down  to  the  hall  and  out  of 
the  side  door  went  George,  picturing 
himself  in  a  doomed  man's  cell — 
doomed  for  murder  in  the  first  degree. 

As  George  reached  the  prostrate  boy, 
Jim  discovered  he  was  not  dead,  but 
safely  reposing  on  the  ground,  so  he 


152  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

dared  to  open  his  eyes  and  take  a  deep 
breath. 

"Ah-umm!"  sighed  Jim,  as  the  sweet 
fresh  air  filled  his  lungs,  and  his  eyes 
beheld  at  close  range  the  damp,  greeri 
blades  of  close-cropped  lawn-grass. 

"Jim!  Jim!  are  you  dead?"  cried! 
George,  on  his  knees  beside  the  boy. 

"Ya-as,  Ah  am — an'  it's  all  yo'  fault, 
too !"  whimpered  Jim,  feeling  a  sudden 
pity  at  the  thought  of  himself  as  a  pos- 
sible angel,  leaving  his  mammy  on  earth 
to  cry  for  him. 

"Oh,  Jim,  forgive  me — us,  I  mean! 
Martha  and  I  never  dreamed  you  were 
going  to  let  go  like  you  did!" 

"Ah  won't  never  forgive  yo'  all,  cuz 
Ah  mought  hab  been  killed  an'  who 
could  save  me?"  howled  the  boy. 

George  resented  this  inference.  "We 
didn't  do  it !  You  just  went  and  let  go, 
and  then  you  spun  around  like  we  do 
in  the  swing  when  we  play  flying  and 
twist  the  swing-ropes  all  up  tight!" 

"Diden  yo  leg'go  your  end?"  ques- 
tioned Jim,  sitting  upright  to  stare  un- 
believingly. 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    153 

! 

"  'Course  not !  Look  at  my  poor 
wrists !  Did  I  let  go  and  wear  the  skin 
to  the  bone — did  I?"  cried  George, 
holding  up  his  hands  to  Jim's  gaze. 

"Nah — Ah  reckon  yo'  diden — but 
whad  was  it?" 

"Yourself,  'cause  you  let  go  of  the 
rope  when  you  ought  to  have  gripped 
it  like  anything!" 

Before  further  explanations  could  be 
given,  Martha,  followed  by  grand- 
mother with  her  knitting  (she  had 
dropped  a  whole  row  of  stitches  in  the 
excitement),  nurse  holding  the  baby  at 
a  dangerous  angle,  mammy  with  bread- 
dough  clinging  to  her  hands,  and 
mother  holding  her  hat,  which  she  had 
just  removed  upon  coming  indoors, 
crowded  about  the  two  boys — one  still 
tied  in  the  rope. 

Every  one  saw  the  rope,  followed  its 
length  to  the  top  story,  and  then  let 
their  eyes  lower  again  to  the  two  silent 
boys  gazing  speechless  at  each  other. 

"What  is  this?"  demanded  Mrs. 
Parke. 

"Jim,   what   yo'    goin'    for   to   dor^ 


154  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Clim'  dat  house  an'  git  in  dat  attic 
whar  dem  chilluns  wuz  prisoners?" 
came  from  Jim's  mammy,  with  dire 
meaning  in  her  tones. 

Before  any  one  of  the  three  culprits 
could  open  their  lips  to  explain,  mammy 
had  Jim  out  of  the  coil,  and  was  yank- 
ing him  by  the  collar  of  his  loose  shirt, 
in  the  direction  of  the  areaway,  there 
to  do  penance  for  trying  to  climb  a 
rope. 

Mrs.  Parke  ordered  mammy  and 
nurse  to  take  charge  of  the  two  children 
who  had  broken  their  pledge  to  remain 
all  day  in  the  attic.  They  were  re- 
manded to  two  separate  store-room  clos- 
ets, where  no  window  or  rope  could 
offer  temptations.  Only  a  high  tran- 
som window  for  light  and  air  was  in 
these  closets. 

As  no  explanations  would  be  heard, 
Martha  and  George,  to  say  nothing  of 
innocent  Jim,  felt  they  were  cruelly 
misunderstood.  And  Jim,  as  he  sat  in 
a  corner  of  the  kitchen  tied  to  the 
wooden  stool  with  a  wash-line,  wished 
with  all  the  fervor  in  his  trembling  lit- 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    155 

tie  body  that  he  had  really  and  truly 
gone  to  heaven  when  the  rope  let  him 
down  to  earth. 

"Reckon  dat  mammy  would  feel  dif- 
ferent ef  Ah  wuz  climin'  dem  clouds 
playin*  a  lil'  harp,"  whimpered  Jim  to 
himself,  tears  crowding  from  his  round 
black  eyes  as  he  pictured  himself  thus. 

"Whad  dat  yo'  mumblin'  to  yo'self  in 
dat  cornah?"  threatened  his  mammy. 

"Nuffin !  Ah  jes'  wishin'  Ah'd  gone 
daid  dis  time,  den  yo'  woulden  had  no 
Jimmy  t'  shake  an'  tie  up  to  de  floor!" 
wailed  he. 

"Sea  heah,  boy,  don'  yo'  go  an'  'dulge 
dem  fool  notions  er  Ah'll  hep  yo'  cry 
dem  away  jes  as  soon  as  dis  bread  is 
bakin',"  came  ominously  from  his  re- 
spected parent.  So  Jim  drooped  silently 
in  the  corner,  wondering  if  his  com- 
panions-in-misery  were  getting  all  that 
he  hoped  was  coming  to  them. 

But  Jim  did  not  hear  of  their  form  of 
punishment  until  some  time  later,  be- 
cause other  exciting  events  crowded 
such  past  and  already  forgotten  memo- 
ries from  mind. 


m  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

That  evening  at  dinner,  when  the  two 
culprits  had  been  bathed  and  dressed, 
and  ready  to  meet  their  father,  and  Jim 
had  been  treated  to  bread  and  molasses 
before  going  to  bed,  Mr.  Parke  an- 
nounced wonderful  news. 

"Who  do  you  think  called  me  up  on» 
the  telephone  to-day?"  said  he,  looking 
at  George  and  Martha. 

"The  constable?"  gasped  George 
fearfully. 

His  father  threw  back  his  head  and 
laughed  loudly,  but  Mrs.  Parke 
watched  the  children  with  an  expres- 
sion of  understanding. 

"Of  course  not!  Have  you  two  been 
meriting  arrest  again?" 

"No,  but  some  folks  think  we  have !" 
said  George,  sending  his  mother  a  pity- 
ing look. 

"Well,  I'm  glad  you  are  safe  for  the 
time  being,"  laughed  Mr.  Parke,  see- 
ing the  glance.  "But  this  is  a  fine  bit 
of  news  for  you  and  Martha." 

No  one  seemed  able  to  guess  the 
secret,  so  Mr.  Parke  had  to  tell  them. 

"My  sister  and  her  two  children  are 


EFFECTS  OF  PRISON  LIFE    157 

coming  from  Philadelphia  to  spend  a 
few  weeks  with  us — how  about  it?" 

Before  Mr.  Parke  had  quite  finished 
his  sentence,  George  and  Martha  were 
up  and  over  at  his  side,  each  hugging 
him  from  his  and  her  vantage  point. 
Mrs.  Parke,  too,  was  mildly  enthused, 
and  when  one  could  be  heard  again, 
remarked : 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad,  Tom,  as  those  chil- 
dren were  always  such  models  of  be- 
havior !  Now  George  and  Martha  will 
see  what  quiet,  obedient  youngsters  are 
like!" 

"Don't  be  so  sure  of  that,  Kate.  Sis- 
ter is  now  in  Washington,  and  'phoned 
me  from  there.  She  says  that  Jack  and 
Anne  are  all  she  can  manage  these 
days,  and  she  hoped  George  and  Mar- 
tha would  be  able  to  interest  them  in 
other  things  besides  pranks  and  play." 

This  desirable  news  brought  the  eyes 
of  George  and  Martha  to  meet  each 
other,  and  the  latter  said  in  a  whisper: 
"How  about  that  wedding,  then?" 

"Just  the  thing — and  the  courtship, 
don't  forget  that." 


158  THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

"What  is  this  you're  planning  now?" 
asked  Mrs.  Parke. 

"Oh,  just  a  nice,  quiet  game,"  said 
both  children,  nodding  understandingly 
at  each  other. 

"Well,  I'm  relieved  to  hear  that.  We 
want  you  to  play  quiet,  polite  games 
with  your  little  cousins  when  they  are 
here,"  replied  Mr.  Parke,  with  a  sigh. 

So  the  "Little  Washingtons"  went  to 
bed  to  dream  of  all  the  things  they 
would  do  when  Jack  and  Anne  Davis 
would  be  their  guests. 

And  how  they  carried  out  their  plans 
will  be  told  in  their  next  book,  called 
"The  Little  Washingtons'  Relatives." 


THE    END 


THE   LITTLE    WASHINGTONS 
SERIES 

By  LILLIAN  ELIZABETH  ROY 

Handsomely  Bound.     Colored  Wrappers.     Illustrated. 
For  Children  6  to  12  Years 

This  series  presents  early  American  history  in  a  manner 
that  impresses  the  young  readers.  Because  of  George  and 
Martha  Washington  Parke,  two  young  descendants  of  the 
famous  General  Washington,  these  stories  follow  exactly 
the  life  of  the  great  American,  by  means  of  playing  they 
act  the  life  of  the  Washingtons,  both  in  battles  and  in 
society. 

THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS 

Their  thrilling  battles  and  expeditions  generally  end  in  '*  punishment " 
lessons  read  by  Mrs.  Parke  from  the  "  Life  of  Washington/'  The  culprits 
listen  intently,  for  this  reading  generally  gives  them  new  ideas  for  further 
games  of  Indian  warfare  and  Colonists'  battles. 

THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS  RELATIVES 

\  The  Davis  children  visit  the  Parke  home  and  join  zealously  in  the  games 
of  playing  General  Washington.  So  zealously,  in  fact,  that  little  Jim 
almost  loses  his  scalp. 

THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS'  TRAVELS 

'  The  children  wage  a  fierce  battle  upon  the  roof  of  a  hotel  in  New  York 
City.  Then,  visiting  the  Davis  home  in  Philadelphia,  the  patriotic  Wash^ 
ingtons  vanquish  the  Hessians  on  a  battle-field  in  the  empty  lot  back  of 
the  Davis  property. 

THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS  AT  SCHOOL 

After  the  school-house  battle  the  Washingtons  discover  a  band  of  gyp^ 
sies  camping  near  the  back  road  to  their  homes  and  incidentally  they  secure 
the  stolen  horse  which  the  gypsies  had  taken  from  the  "  butter  and  egg 
farmer"  of  the  Parkes. 

THE  LITTLE  WASHINGTONS'  HOLIDAYS 

They  spend  a  pleasant  summer  on  two  adjoining  farms  in  Vermont 
During  the  voyage  they  try  to  capture  a  "frigate"  but  little  Jim  is  caught 
and  about  to  be  punished  by  the  Captain  when  his  confederates  hasten  in 
and  save  him. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


LITTLE  JACK   RABBIT 
BOOKS 

(Trademark  Registered) 

By  DAVID  CORY 

Author  of  LITTLE  JOURf^EYS  TO  HAPPYLAND 
Colored  Wrappers  With  Text  Ulustratioais 

A  new  and  unique  series  about  the  furred  and  feathered 
little  people  of  the  wood  and  meadow. 

Children  will  eagerly  follow  the  doings  of  little  Jack 
Rabbit,  who,  every  morning  as  soon  as  he  has  polished  the 
front  door  knob  and  fed  the  canary,  sets  out  from  his  little 
house  in  the  bramble  patch  to  meet  his  friends  in  the  Shady 
Forest  and  Sunny  Meadow.  And  the  clever  way  he  es- 
capes from  his  three  enemies,  Danny  Fox,  Mr.  Wicked 
Weasel  and  Hungry  Hawk  will  delight  the  youngsters. 

LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT'S  ADVENTURES 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  DANNY  FOX 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  THE  SQUIRREL 

BROTHERS 
LITTLE  JACK  RABMT  AND  CHIPPY  CHIPMUNK 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  THE  BIG  BROWN 

BEAR 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  UNCLE  JOHN  HARE 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  PROFESSOR  CROW 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  OLD  MAN  WEASEL 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  MR.  WICKED  WOLF 
LITTLE  JACK  RABBIT  AND  HUNGRY  HAWK 

Grosset  &  DuNLAP,        Publishers,        New  York 


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